Elsword Revamped
by TheElswordDesigner
Summary: This is a re-imagining of Elsword's story with its flaws attempted to be fixed.
1. Chapter 1: Tree of El

Author's Note

The playable cast will take on a hybrid of their own job paths to supplement the narrative. Deleted skills and old versions of some skills will be included for the same reason. Character perspectives will change per chapter depending on the main focus. Complete arcs, such as getting back Ruben's El Stone, stopping the demon invasion, and restoring the Large El will be covered, but incomplete arcs that have yet to be finished by KoG will not be covered. Laby will not be included because there's no involvement between her and the other characters within complete arcs so far. This is subject to change as I gradually release new chapters. There's no ETA for when I'll upload, so please be patient, and check back every month or two. I'm also doing a video series on Youtube where I give commentary about each chapter. Search "Let's Analyze Elsword Revamped" by MLG Jude Wannabe.

Chapter 1: Tree of El

A red-haired boy stares down the cliff edge at a bulky log. He leaps off the cliff, and on his descent, Elsword cleaves the wood in half. Before the halves fall, he swings his blade horizontally. "Mega Slash!" The two pieces split into four and fly to the pile of chopped forestry several feet away. "Another one."

His drill master, Lowe, lifts a log over his shoulder. "If you keep training like this, we're gonna have enough firewood for the rest of next year!" He looks at the Tree of El, the biggest plant among the forests by Ruben village, and picks up part of the cut log in front of the tree. Metal shards are wedged into the wood. "Your blade's chipping off on these more than before, so take a break. I'll repair it as soon as I get back to Ruben." He sets the new log down where the old one stood, and then, Elsword gives him the weapon.

They lie down by the river gushing behind the Tree of El. Its raging current slams the edges, which occasionally splashes water at their shoes. When a rush of wind blows past, the sun pierces through the rustling green thicket above. Elsword shields his eyes from the blinding rays. "Nature hasn't been very calm ever since other villages lost their El Stones."

Lowe scratches his head. "And despite that, you're still not gonna help me guard Ruben's El Stone." He wipes his brow and flicks some sweat at his pupil. "All this training you do makes me think you'll change your mind and surprise me one day."

The boy playfully pushes Lowe's shoulder. "What, your cadets aren't reliable enough that you want my help, too?"

"No, I just think everyone would feel more at ease with you by their side." The man cups both hands under his head. "You're really set on bringing Elesis back, huh? The world's dangerous out there, you know."

Elsword sits up and gazes across the river, the only thing separating them from the creatures of the forest on the other side. Small tree logs mashed together in a human-like form are known as tree knights, and while small they appear, their thorny branches make them a camouflaging threat. Fairy guardians, or golems made of sod, rocks, and moss, move slower than tree knights, but their bodies camouflage more and pack a bigger punch.

The boy picks up a pebble and chucks it at a mound of moss across the river. That greenery rises off the ground to reveal itself as a fairy guardian. It looks around its surroundings with big grass-colored eyes before slumping to the ground. Several tree knights walk away from their foliage to gather where the pebble hit, but they shortly return to their camouflage spots after a few minutes of wandering. Elsword says, "I know it's dangerous, but that's exactly why I'm going to bring her back. My father wanted me _and_ my sister to live here in peace. Like he said, the Velder Civil War is no place for children."

A gurgling noise sounds out from his belly, and Lowe laughs at it. "You're not going on an empty stomach, though. I'll fix you up with some phoru cookies and spirit tea at my house." He stands up, offering his hand to Elsword. "Go on ahead of me. I need to gather the wood you cut for Ruben."

The boy takes Lowe's hand and smiles. "Thanks a bunch! I'm pooped after all that training."

On his way around the cliff he jumped from, Elsword bumps into a tall, muscular man. "Whoops, sorry about that." Looking up at him, he notices the person has a slash scar in the place of his right eye and a massive broadsword strapped over his shoulder. "Whoa..." Elsword realizes this cyclops got past the two cadets guarding the path to the Tree of El. "Wait a second, what's your name, and why are you here?"

The man looks down at the puny boy. His frown and gruff tone of voice don't improve Elsword's opinion on him. "Banthus. I'm a scholar researching the effects of El on the world, and since so many have been stolen, I'm here to learn about this one, the only one not stolen."

Lowe is still around, so Ruben's El Stone shouldn't be in any immediate danger. With that in mind, Elsword puts his hands behind his head. "Alright, go learn whatever then. See ya later."

Inside Lowe's house, Elsword stretches his arms as he lies down on the couch. Not even a minute passes before the boy falls asleep.

He finds himself on his bunker bed. The moonlight from the window to his right only illuminates just past his bedside, a muddy-brown hallway that stretches so far, the end isn't in sight. A feminine voice from the top bunk bed draws his attention. "Are you refusing to help Lowe because you're not strong enough, even after all this training?" Elsword shakes his head, both to disagree and out of disbelief that he's hearing his long-lost sister, Elesis. "Are you scared to face the truth of your incompetence? Scared to know bringing me back is too much for you?"

He shouts, "That's not true! I am strong, and I'm not going to back down, even if bringing you home feels impossible!"

A shadowy figure leaps from the top bunk bed and walks down the hall. Elesis's voice softens as she continues, her body shrinking the farther away from Elsword she gets. "The El Stone and Lowe need you more than I do. Support the allies you make, and they'll be by your side forever. Wake up."

"W-what do you mean?" The dark room shakes as that figure gets too far for him to make out as a person. Elsword can't move, despite all his effort at doing so. "Wait, hold on, Elesis!"

Ruben's elder, Hagus, is the first face Elsword sees inches away from his own face. He stops shaking the boy's shoulders and says, "You're finally awake." The old man backs off before raising his voice. "Ruben is being raided by bandits and phoru! You've got to help everyone drive them out of the village."

Elsword's red eyes widen. "What!?" He looks around the brightly lit house, a stark contrast to his dream's bedroom, and sees that his drill master isn't here. "Where's Lowe? Is the El Stone ok?"

Hagus furrows his brown eyebrows. "I was hoping you'd know, considering you and him were training this morning. What happened after you parted ways with him?" The boy runs into Lowe's room and grabs his blade, a replica of Elsword's weapon, before darting to the door. Hagus shouts, "Wait, where are you going!?"

Elsword grips the copper-brown doorknob and yells, "The Tree of El! I'll cut through Spirit Falls to get there faster, so I can help Lowe protect the El Stone."

He swings the door open to see Ruben in turmoil. Houses have their windows and doors broken in, people tremble behind swordsmen clashing blades with white-masked men, and many phoru are wolfing down fried carp from food stalls.

Phoru are generally white-furred bipedal animals that resemble badgers. However, they can speak the human language and even fight with people's weapons in the same manner. Most phoru can stand up to shoulder-level with the average person, but there are taller phoru among the group here.

The swordsmen protecting the villagers are at a standstill with the masked bandits as their numbers and sword skills rival each other. Because of this, there isn't a person free who can fend off the ravaging phoru besides Elsword. He can't deny that there's a demand for help. The boy grits his teeth while he runs away, never looking back despite Hagus's distant shouting.

Near the outskirts of the village, Elsword arrives at the most relaxing place he's been to, Spirit Falls. The grand lake in front of him constantly has its surrounding waterfalls supply new water, and what's overflowing will go down a river, which eventually loops around the waterfalls to the Tree of El. Lotus plants, standing six feet above the lake's surface level, are scattered across this large body of water. The tops of these plants are flat, wide, and sturdy enough for people to stand on without swaying, thanks to the abundance of earth spirits keeping them strong.

Across the lake is a rock wall between two waterfalls, and just above that is the cliff that Elsword jumped from earlier this morning. Right before he approaches the nearest lotus, a bell chimes behind him. There's a phoru holding out a crate full of eggs to Elsword. Steam rises from the white shells, and the aroma of boiled eggs makes the boy's stomach growl. "Freshly boiled Ruchi eggs, ten thousand ED each."

Elsword reaches in his pockets but then jumps back, weapon ready to swing. "You almost had me there, but I'm not falling for poisoned eggs!"

The phoru shakes his head furiously. "These aren't poisoned, I swear!"

He points his sword at the animal. "Oh yeah? If you've got food to sell, what's with all the phorus raiding Ruben for its fish?"

"I guess I wasn't invited for the raid?" The phoru shrugs. "I don't really care about fish, though. How about I go give them some eggs to calm things down?"

Elsword lowers his weapon and shrugs back. "Do whatever you want. I gotta get going."

He leaps across lotus after lotus over the lake before reaching the rock wall. However, his speed comes to a halt when a realization hits him. He forgot to grab Lowe's sheath to strap the sword on his back. It'd take too long to return, and Hagus would certainly give him an earful. The sand-colored wall looks gigantic from where Elsword stands, so throwing the weapon over doesn't seem worth the risk of it ricocheting off the wall and into the lake.

He holds the sword with his left hand and grabs onto a protruding part of the wall with his right hand. "I better get some great cookies after this, Lowe." Elsword finds some footholds before climbing with one hand instead of two.

The increased strain on his right arm is like nothing the redhead has ever felt, but he pushes it out of his mind by focusing on the reasons for why he's doing this. The El Stone has to be safe, or else nature will be even more chaotic than it already is. Lowe's life is definitely in danger, and there's no one who can fill his shoes if something happens to him. Elsword thinks, "Would things have been better if I stayed with Lowe to collect firewood?" He shakes his head. A tired, weaponless boy couldn't do anything. He would only be a liability. Finally, there's that dream. The Elesis in it wants him to help the El Stone and Lowe. It sounds silly to think of, but Elsword can't get it out of his head.

Some questions come to mind as he's halfway up. The phoru are a docile species, so why did they attack Ruben? Is the strong river current preventing them from catching fish easily? There's no way anyone can swim through the rapids, even if they're expert swimmers. The forest can only grow so much fruit for them after all. No, that can't be it if that phoru was willing to sell hard-boiled eggs. This hurt Elsword's head to figure out, so he thinks of something else.

Why did bandits attack Ruben? There's nothing of great value in the village, so it'd make more sense for them to go after the El Stone. However, Lowe's cadets are gathered around there, so that wouldn't be a good idea either. They would have to leave their post. However, those swordsmen fighting back the bandits must've been Lowe's cadets that Hagus mentioned earlier. News of the bandit attack must've got to them, so they left their post to protect Ruben. It's all a distraction for someone to steal the El Stone! Someone, like Banthus, can pull it off.

The summit is almost within reach, so Elsword tosses Lowe's weapon over and uses both hands to finish pulling himself up. At the top, sleeping over the soft grass feels tempting, but he falls to his hands and knees instead, grabbing the sword's hilt. Slamming and clanging noises from beyond the cliff's edge draw his attention.

He crawls forward to see Lowe and Banthus fighting! However, it's completely one-sided. Banthus is constantly on the offensive with his leaping slashes while Lowe jumps back, holding Elsword's broken weapon. It must've been weakened from all the training earlier in the morning and broke when Lowe used it against Banthus. As nimble as Lowe is, his movements are getting slower. The war of attrition isn't going in his favor.

It's time to end this. Coming to the Tree of El as a fake scholar is a smart move, but this one's even better. The boy leaps from the cliff and shouts, "Learn about this, Banthus!"

Lowe runs to his attacker's back while Banthus looks up. He barely manages to raise his broadsword to block the boy's attack. "You little—"

Banthus readies his sword for a swing, but Lowe kicks the back of his knee. "Now!" This knee buckling and his weapon pull the bandit backwards just in time for Elsword to swing Lowe's blade once more.

"Mega Slash!" The redhead cuts into Banthus's left shoulder, bringing out a scream from the man. The drill master rolls out of the way before Banthus falls to the grass. Elsword offers Lowe's weapon to its rightful owner and says, "He's all yours."

After taking it, he rushes past the boy and a metal clang sounds out. Elsword turns around to see Lowe blocking another bandit's sword. The white-masked man yells, "Boss, we'll take care of 'em! Don't worry about us!" Another masked man jumps from the cliff for a knife stab on Lowe, but the drill master jumps back and pulls Elsword with him. "Mars, you back me up with your knives, and I'll—"

An arrow of light from above lodges into his shoulder. He turns and looks up just in time for a green-haired woman to land on his face, heel first. He falls flat on his back, completely motionless, as the other bandit yells, "Toby! You'll pay for that, you wretch!" The angered man throws a knife at her, but she back flips over. While in mid-air, three arrows of light form on her bow and fly at the attacker. One pierces his knee, another through his stomach, and the last ruptures his head. The simultaneous impact slams the poor bandit to the grass, where the arrows disappear.

She points her bow just past the El Stone defenders. "You better put that back unless you want to end up like your henchmen."

Lowe and Elsword turn around to see Banthus holding a shimmering rock, easily the size of a watermelon. He leans back against the Tree of El and shrugs his right shoulder. "Don't make me laugh with that bluff. Your arrows can only go so far before they vanish. Judging from the distance you shot Toby from that cliff top, there's no way you can reach me from where you're standing."

The archer smirks. "You're delusional if you think that's true."

"Don't try to fool me, lass. Your arrows shot through Mars because you were close enough, but they didn't pierce Toby, so…" Banthus runs around the Tree of El and towards the river! "I'm home free!" He merrily laughs as Elsword, Lowe, and the archer give chase.

It isn't long before Lowe catches up with her in their pursuit. "Give me your bow and some arrows!" he yells. "I know I can get close enough to him."

She shakes her head. "Only I can make and fire these arrows. If I gave them to you, they'd disappear."

Elsword shouts, "How the heck is he so fast!?" The predicament is starting to feel more and more hopeless to the boy. He can't catch up to Banthus running away with the El Stone, and even if he somehow can, there isn't a weapon he can use against the cyclops. It's all up to Lowe and her now, so Elsword slows down.

At the river, Banthus makes a huge leap across but wobbles on his landing near the edge. Lowe grinds his feet to a halt and shouts, "Get back here, you coward!" The bandit only turns to laugh at him. To their surprise, the woman doesn't slow down. "Wait, the river's too strong for swimming!"

"Who said anything about swimming?" The lady jumps over the river, but judging from her momentum, it looks like she'll only make it halfway.

Just as she goes down, her body gains a boost of motion upward, which looks enough to cross the body of water with ease. Upon seeing this sudden burst of momentum, Banthus turns around and continues running. Lowe mutters, "H-how did she do that? It was like she got an extra jump in mid-air."

Elsword finally catches up with him, still gawking at the mysterious lady chasing after Banthus through the forest. "What do we do now?"

He lodges his blade into the soil and crosses both arms over his chest. "Elsword, I've been fighting that man ever since you left. You seemed to know I was in trouble, which is probably why you came back. Something must've happened while we were separated. Please, tell me everything you know." It baffles the boy to hear that. While he slept in Lowe's house, ran to Spirit Falls, and climbed its rocky wall, Lowe fought using only a broken sword. "No spacing out now! C'mon!"

That snaps the redhead to attention. "Sorry!" With his adrenaline leaving, he can't help but fall to his knees over the soft grass. "Bandits attacked Ruben." His voice softens almost to a whisper, and Lowe turns around to face him with furrowed eyebrows. "Had a dream." The boy falls to the side, but Lowe catches his limp body. "You were in trouble." His eyes close. "Ran over here as... fast as possible…"

Elsword finds himself on that same bunk bed in the dark room. "You failed," Elesis says. "Failed to protect the El Stone after deserting Ruben. How are you going to face Hagus and the rest of the villagers?"

"I…" Trailing Banthus would be difficult by the time Elsword crosses the river normally through Spirit Falls, so getting back the El Stone to redeem himself seems impossible. A mere apology can't undo the pain Ruben's people are going through. There is one accomplishment, though. "I did fail. There's no denying it, and I'm sure everyone at Ruben is disgusted by my actions." He punches the top bunk bed from below. "However! I did save Lowe's life, something no one else could've done at the time. That's something to be proud of."

The shadowy figure of his sister jumps down by his bedside. Her face is nothing but darkness unlike the rest of her clothes and skin, illuminated by the moonlight. "Are you really satisfied with just that?" A voice with no face to call its own frightens the boy, but he can't seem to move away no matter how much he wants to.

Elsword wakes up on Lowe's couch once more. The whole house is faintly lit by the sunset peering through broken windows. A draft of hot air sweeps in, carrying the scent of sawdust and fried fish. In front of him is a muddy-brown table with a few things on top. His weapon, fully repaired with 'Elsword' engraved on the hilt, lies flat on the far end of the table with its red sheath. Closest to him is a white plate of sugar cookies in the shape of phoru heads. Beside that is a grass-green cup of steaming tea.

When the boy picks up the plate of phoru cookies, he sees a note underneath. It reads, "Hagus informed me of the situation. At seven o'clock tonight, we'll hold a strategy meeting with Rena, the lady who helped us at the Tree of El, and Aisha, a girl who turned the tide of battle against the bandits and phoru in Ruben. Rena and I wanted you to join us, but Hagus and Aisha said otherwise. There's a back door with a peephole you can use to see us, and a cat flap below it will let you hear everything inside if you open it a little with your foot. Just don't make too much noise, and I'm sure you'll be fine." Lowe's signature is at the bottom.


	2. Chapter 2: An Angel's Rose

Chapter 2: An Angel's Rose

It's mystifying to observe the Elrians from azure branches. While the supervisor drone, Zero, collects data, Rose twiddles her thumbs and watches the swordsmen below. The Tree of El, as Lowe calls it, is the perfect place for research in this world. Those that resonate with the El seem to return here every morning for training.

The power to survive falls from high cliffs and cleave logs in one slash is the same power that demons have used when invading her world. It's simply incredible. If she can utilize that power, there would be no concern over any future attacks against her princess.

Zero's black and yellow head flies in front of her face. His obnoxious voice usually annoys Rose, but not this time. "You may wanna be looking at our spy."

Atop a neighboring cliff is a robed white-haired man, sprinting directly at the two onlookers. However, there's a distinct gap between the cliff and the Tree of El. Even with high elevation, it seems impossible for him to get near them. Is he thinking of alerting Lowe and Elsword? "Let's move away as soon as he falls below."

Once the man jumps off the cliff, his body starts gliding. The robot shouts, "That's not how gravity works! Is he seriously thinking about getting over here?"

If he continues at this rate, it looks like he _will_ make it over to them. Rose points at another cliff, slightly lower than the one he jumped from. "We need to dispose of him without blowing our cover to the men below. Is your flight mode ready to follow me?"

Zero eyes the cliff she has in mind. "Yeah, so get a move on already!"

Even though it's not his idea, he still has to sound bossy. "Then try to keep up." Rose's thoughts control a chip in her brain to use the nitro motor at will. This rectangular machine is affixed to the back of her waist, and it uses electron energy for its flight. She leaps off the azure branches, nitro motor propelling red-orange energy at Zero.

The circular robot flies around it, yelling, "Wait for me! You're going too fast!"

By the time Rose lands on the rocky structure, she sees the gliding man pursuing her supervisor. "Sorry, but you're not getting him." Her hand summons a chain with a hooked blade at one end. "Brace for impact, sir!" Rose swings her weapon upward, wrapping him before the blade hooks into the rest of the chain. Before their pursuer reaches out, she yanks Zero to her. "Better luck next time."

She unties him, but as soon as he's freed, Zero headbutts her chin. "Don't pull that stunt again! You could've done some irreversible damage."

Rose turns away, pointing at their follower. "Now is _not_ the time, Zero. Summon a Sparrow Factory and transform into a flamethrower." A radiant portal opens slightly above the grassy cliff top. Moments later, a blue and black, circular machine pops out, landing with a soft thud. It has mechanical arms, tools, and parts galore. The arms quickly utilize what equipment they have to build tiny, blue drones resembling sparrows. These drones eject blue energy as they soar to the descending man.

A transparent, azure spear manifests over his head, pointing at the Sparrow Factory. One flick of his wrist is all it takes for the spear to crash into the summoned machine, detonating it and the sparrows. He shields his eyes from the explosions upon landing.

Zero's body deconstructs itself into mere parts before reconstructing to a flamethrower in her hands. "Flame Strike!" The black barrel ejects an expansive volume of fire towards the spear user, but it doesn't get close enough. Rose shouts, "If you don't wanna get fried, surrender by lying face down with both hands behind your back!"

The man rises above the smoke and motions to her, but his body seemingly bounces after one of his mid-air steps, like there's an invisible springboard. Rose angles her aim, but his speed is too fast for the flames to catch up. As soon as he gets directly above her, his body plummets straight down. Zero's fire stops when she rolls away, but with the man's quick landing, he closes the gap. A blade, similar in color to his spear, manifests in his hand. He slashes Zero away. Rose summons her chain blade and locks swords with him, each trying to overpower the other. He mutters, "Are you a threat to the El Stone?"

"Depends. Is it responsible for the demon invasion in Heaven?"

His white eyebrows narrow as his voice softens. "I don't recall any invasion in Heaven."

"Then, our definitions of Heaven must be different. Why don't we talk about them peacefully?" Rose jumps back, and his sword disappears. She hangs the chain blade on her hip while the man's hair changes its white color to gray. "I'm Rose, and that flamethrower is named Zero. What's your name?"

"Ainchase Ishmael."

She crosses both of her arms. "Oh, um... is it alright if I call you Ain for short?"

He shrugs. "It matters not, so tell me the details about your Heaven."

Zero morphs back to his flying head form and zips in front of Ain. "She won't be telling anything to you as per my orders."

Rose turns the drone around to face her, whispering, "This could be our chance to finish our research quicker, so let me handle this. I won't spill anything confidential."

"You better not," he mutters.

She spins him back and says, "We're from a distant continent named Heaven, and there were portals, releasing demons everywhere. My princess ordered me to come here, using our technology to fly over such a vast distance across the sea. I need to research the power of El, people that can harness it, and if there's a link between them and the demon invasion. Heaven's researchers believe Elrians are at fault based on their current findings."

The look on Ain's face is of utter disgust, almost despising her. "So, you wish to cast the blame on others and eliminate them after finding that so-called 'link'? Have those foolish researchers ever considered finding a more peaceful solution?"

Rose waves her hands in denial. "Hold on a second, Ain. I'm not like them. I wanna find a way for us to work together, but I'm not sure Zero and I can open up to these… exotic people. They may see us as dangerous aliens." She extends her palm out for a handshake. "Would you do us a favor and be our mediator?"

He stares at her hand with furrowed eyebrows, like it's a foreign gesture to him. After a while, he shakes his head and sighs. "That's not possible, considering my role in this world. I, too, must stay in the shadows while keeping watch of the El for reasons I cannot share." Ain looks into Rose's sea-blue eyes. "However, I propose a deal. We safeguard the El and those that guard it while keeping away from the public eye. That way, both of us can observe the El for our own reasons and watch each other's backs."

Zero gets right in his face, giving him the evil eye. "Oh yeah? We've been watching each other's backs ever since we got here and did just fine."

"Until I showed up," Ain says.

"Well, you're not an Elrian, so that doesn't count! I can hear things clearly far away, see through walls, and transform into weapons. Just what can you do that I can't?"

"Can you sense the types of El that make up everything? That's how I was able to know exactly where your flames were amid the smoke."

"Er…" Zero flies back to Rose's side. "Fine, fine. You can tag along, but if you slow us down or jeopardize our cover, the deal's off!"

She extends her palm again. "I'm glad to see you as my ally instead of an enemy, Ain."

He stares at it with the same confusion from before. "Why is your hand there?"

"Um…" Does he not know what this gesture means? "People usually shake hands after a deal has been made. It's a custom to double check that our emotions are in agreement, too."

"This custom is meaningless. If not shaking hands implies distrust, that means people think too much with their hearts and not with their brains."

Sighing, Rose draws her hand back. "I understand your logic, but it wouldn't hurt to be less crude."

Ain shrugs. "Easy communication is simple when using blunt words, so that's why I talk like this. Why not give it a try?"

"No thanks, I'll pass." This is just great. If Zero and Ain's tactlessness can get them closer to each other, they'd marry in a heartbeat.

Speaking of, the robot peers over the cliff edge. "Cut the noise, you two. Looks like we got a guest, and the boy's leaving." They gather by and watch a hulking one-eyed swordsman pass Elsword. The man approaches Lowe while scanning his surroundings. Rose, Zero, and Ain get back before his gaze meets theirs. "He's not looking around anymore," the robot says.

When they get back to observing, Lowe stands up from his firewood pile to face the newcomer. "Morning, sir. How can I help you?"

"You can help by handing over the El Stone." He unsheathes his broadsword, which seems larger than Lowe's whole body. "Or get out of my way so I can grab it. Your call."

The drill master holds his own sword in front. "Who are you, and what do you want the El Stone for?"

Ain mutters, "That's Elsword's weapon. The Earth El within is unstable, so if it takes even the slightest—"

One swing from the broadsword snaps the blade in two, but Lowe keeps his grip on the hilt steady while the other half flies into the river. "Name's Banthus, and it's none of your business what I want the rock for. How about you turn tail just like your sword did?"

Lowe chuckles as he steps over and behind the firewood. "I may not have a complete sword, but that doesn't mean I'm defenseless." He lowers the weapon to the pile, turning the metal's flat side to face Banthus. "Prepare for the fight of your life!" He shovels the heaps of wood and sawdust at the man, prompting him to raise his blade against the tornado of debris. "Sandstorm!" The cyclone of earth circles Banthus, battering his sides and back.

He jumps out of it, cleaving downward at Lowe, but the drill master rolls away. "You're quite the swordsman to fight with half a blade, but even a skilled warrior has his limits, don't you think?"

"I'd say my limits are enough to beat you at least." Lowe's body radiates a red aura as he charges at the towering man. Banthus thrusts at the swordsman, but his blade embedding into Lowe's chest does nothing to push him back. In fact, _he's_ the one pushing Banthus away with the broadsword! The one-eyed attacker hardens his grip with both hands, but his feet continue to slide towards the cliff Rose, Zero, and Ain are watching from. With a bloodcurdling roar, the berserker lifts the stabbed weapon, raising a shocked Banthus along with it, and hurls them both into the rocky wall.

A deafening thud resounds as the cliff shakes enough to knock Rose and Ain off their feet. She dusts herself off before sighing. "At least we don't have to worry about that robber anymore."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Ain says. "The El within Banthus has weakened considerably but is stirring ever slightly. The same can be said for Lowe, unfortunately."

They peek over the edge and see his red aura fade while the bruised robber gets on his hands and knees. Banthus mutters, "You're… really something, you know that? It's a shame we're enemies." He uses his blade as a crutch to shakily pull himself up while Lowe clutches his own chest, breathing heavily.

The robber nudges closer at a snail's pace while Lowe inches away. Zero says, "This could take a while before anything happens, so let's sit back and relax."

This routine of approach and retreat continues for a few hours, but as time goes on, their movements quicken as their energy returns.

However, Banthus is the first to start the offensive with his leaping slashes. Thankfully, Lowe can jump away every time, but it's clear his wound hurts too much for him to fight back.

Ain taps Rose and points at the cliff Elsword jumped from this morning. "From that direction, I sense a Dark El that can only belong to a demon. He's going straight for the El Stone, so I'll intercept him just in case he makes this situation more problematic. Filth like him needs to be disposed of."

"We'll go, too," Rose says. "You're not the only one who hates demons."

He gazes across the other side of the cliff to a grand lake with waterfalls. "I sense Elsword and an elf coming this way, so it would be wise of you both to join me. However, I hope you know I can handle the demon alone and _not_ to let your revenge lead you into recklessness."

She rests both hands on her hips. "And I hope _you_ know to accept help when offered. We're a team now, so let's work together to solve our problems."

Ain begins to walk across the grassy cliff tops. "Very well, but try not to slow me down."

Rose stomps and yells, "Zero, hold onto my chain blade! I'm about to show him how _not_ slow I am." The supervisor bites with his white metal teeth before her nitro motor launches Rose slightly above Ain. She grabs his white robed shoulders, lifting him up while flying past the river.

"J-just what do you think you're doing!?" Ain shouts.

"Giving you a ride because I'm that nice." Rose spots a giant black-haired wolf brushing entire trees away with claws big enough to rival spears in size. "I see the demon, so we'll intercept him right around…" She finds a clearing amid the forest directly in his path. "There!" They land gracefully on the rocky ground, watching for any sign of the beast drawing near.

Zero stops biting down to join their gazing. "So, what's the plan, team? Just mess him up? C'mon, you gotta think of something."

That's probably the most considerate thing Zero has said today. "He's right," Rose says. "How about I distract him from afar, so you can find an opening to strike?"

Ain nods. "Sounds like a plan, but what if he focuses on me?"

"We switch roles then." They can see the wolf tearing down trees, moving closer to the clearing. "Muskets, sir." Zero's body morphs into a couple of muskets in her hands. A shimmering blue sword appears in Ain's hand when the demon enters the clearing.

Their towering foe roars loud enough to hurt Rose's ears. "Puny mortals like you stand no chance against me, Berthe, First Squad Commander of the White Ghost Army."

Rose points her guns at his face. "I don't care who you are, nor what your rank is. You're a demon, and that puts you on our hit list!" She fires, but the shots look like they barely scratch his dark skin.

"Is that all you got?" His claws dig into the earth until he grabs a boulder and then hurls it at them.

"Cannons!" The muskets transform into black cylinders that engulf most of Rose's arms and fire red energy at the giant rock, shattering it to pieces. A smoke cloud spreads from there, and Ain leaps through the obscuring blackness. Not too long afterwards, his screams ring out and his body flies back. She rises in the air to catch him, feeling the force of a tackle. "Gah! D-damn it, what did I say!? We gotta work as a team." His robes are a tad bloody, but that glare towards the demon says that Ain's still good for more. They land as the smoke clears to see Berthe gathering white particles around his inhaling mouth.

"Water El!?" Ain shoves Rose away before leaping in the opposite direction, and not a second too late as a beam of white spits out of Berthe's mouth. The attack turns the rocky ground between the duo to ice as well as the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. Berthe lunges onto the frozen path, sliding himself towards them with his right claw outstretched at Ain.

"Flame Strike!" Zero takes on the form of a flamethrower in Rose's hands and spews fire at the demon's left arm and hind leg. "Time for roast wolf meat!"

Berthe pulls back his right claw to pat down his left side, awkwardly scooting away from the flames. His blue eyes widen, and a pained yelp escapes his mouth. He motions both claws behind himself, spinning around to show Ain thrusting his spear into the demon's back. The man shouts, "Unleash everything you've got now!" and jumps off, leaving his spear behind.

Following through, Rose sprints extra close to the spinning beast. "M-3 Flamethrower!" A tiny spray of fire comes out, but it grows massive within seconds, covering the demon's entire body.

An ear bleeding roar from him makes Rose drop Zero to clutch her head. Even without a holder, the robot supervisor continues roasting away. Berthe's voice is strained as he yelps continuously between his words. "Water…! Need! Water!" His fiery body scampers to the river, but Rose catches up through flight while carrying Ain. They flank the demon's right side and land ahead of him.

With Ain's sword and Rose's chain blade, the duo uppercuts Berthe's right side with enough force to launch his body into the air. Three smaller, azure spears appear nearby and fly through him. "Shattering Cut!" Ain shouts.

Rose spins in the air, ripping the beast's underside with her blade and then slashing him downward. "Bloody Spike!"

A yellow portal with a brown swirling pattern opens by his side. Berthe growls weakly as he steps backwards into it, but just before his head enters, he shouts, "This won't be the last you mortals see of me!"

The convenient exit snaps out of existence. Zero's back to his flying head form with a smile, stretching from ear to ear. "That was awesome! We showed that mutt who's boss around here, huh?"

She nods at him and places her hand on Ain's shoulder. "Never forget the power of teamwork we had today, alright?"

"Thank you..." Completely limp, Ain falls over her. Rose struggles to support his body while lowering his back to the brown, rocky soil. "I'm sorry I didn't realize such a lesson."

"Don't talk right now! I need to apply first aid on your wounds, so just relax." His green eyes close as she gets to work on removing his bloody robes. She taps gauze pads, damp with alcohol, over his abdomen cuts.

Zero nudges to her ear and whispers, "I don't want to see you getting buddy-buddy with him just because he's our ally. It's possible he could backstab us."

Rose pauses the treatment, biting her lip at the thought of Ain breaking their deal. "I'm responsible enough to deal with such a problem _if_ that happens." She can't wait for the day she returns to Heaven just to strangle the man behind Zero's control unit.


	3. Chapter 3: Landar's Value

Chapter 3: Landar's Value

Aisha and Kuenbaran gawk at the towering cave entrance in front of them. Magical energy pours out from the black depths, tickling their curiosity with every passing second. "The Ring of Mimir has to be inside," the old man says. He puts away his map and pen. "Are you ready, Aisha? If not, I can go alone and—"

The purple-haired girl shakes her head. "Grandpa, there's no way I'm about to sit this one out." That ring of infinite magical energy will be hers, so she can finally thank her ancestors for their help. The Landar family stands out among Elrians since ancient times as the best mages who can manipulate El. This ring can only make them achieve a higher status, both in world recognition and in battle. She can't help but smile as they walk into the expansive cavern.

The entrance makes it look like a normal cave, but there are lit torches in cups of stone along the walls. A typical adventurer will think someone placed them recently since the flames haven't died out. Aisha can tell they're magical flames, set to never extinguish over time. The jagged interior seems to refine itself the farther they go. Slanted walls gradually straighten themselves, stalactites hardly show up anymore, and the prickly ground becomes smooth. This cave feels more like a tomb with the only constants being their tapping footsteps and crackling torch fire.

They find a wall of magical ice blocking their path. Beyond it lies a shallow pit of spikes, large enough to skewer any who fall in. There's no other way to continue. "A clever trap, but we're more clever." The girl laughs rambunctiously. "Most people would try to melt the ice with these torches and find out they can't get past the spikes. Grandpa, you may wanna step aside." After he backs away, she jumps in the air. "Circle Flame!" Three orbs of fire spin vertically around her and then disappear, quickly melting the ice wall through the middle. After landing, Aisha swings her wand up. "Cyclone!" A miniature tornado sucks up the water to disperse the liquid into the pit, filling it up to the brim. She thinks, "Icicle Wave." A low swing of her wand summons ice across, and then, the water freezes. Every spike they can see is below the frozen surface.

"Not too shabby, but you can't have all the fun," Kuenbaran says. "Why not leave the next trap for me to solve?" They carefully step over the ice, trying not to slip.

"How about we make a game of who can overcome the most traps sooner?" She grins at her grandfather's dispirited face. "Just kidding! The next trap is all yours." It's not long until they arrive at the ice's end, and stone ground is available. Unfortunately, only a few inches of it separate them from another pit of spikes ahead. "Already figured it out. Feel free to ask for help if you're stuck."

He scratches his beard and gazes at the trap. Aisha waits silently, meditating. Kuenbaran outstretches his palm and says, "I believe this'll do it. Water Cannon!" Orbs of water launch from his hand, filling the pit up. He mimics Aisha's low swing using his own wand to freeze the water. "There we go—" The old man grips his back and groans. "I'm not good with magic like I used to be, so how about you deal with the rest of the traps? It'd save us some time that way, too."

"I'll do anything to help." Whether he's telling the truth or not about his cramp, Aisha isn't about to make fun of the geezer. It's thanks to his teachings and upbringing that made her the genius mage she is today.

Just like before, they find another spiky pit, separate from the one they're standing over. This pit is halfway filled of frozen water with holes in the ice. "Interesting." Aisha kneels, staring at the lethal tips. "It looks halfway solved, but that's where the trap maker is trying to fool us." She points at the closest spike to her, which has a black smudge. "Do you see the scorch mark on this one? Someone tried to clean this off and hide the real solution."

Aisha stands up with her hands outstretched. "Chain Burst!" Several fire orbs appear from her palms and fly at the ice, melting it within seconds. The orbs disappear, and water sinks into the darkness. While its flush noise softens, every spike falls over each other. "The ice kept those pointy ends up, and the holes would prevent us from adding water to freeze."

"S-so, are we stuck?"

"Of course not. If we can't make a path by freezing water, we just have to add ice instead." She raises her wand up and swings down. "Blizzard Shower!" Four giant shards of white appear, raining from the ceiling. They crash into the pit and completely fill it with crushed lumps of ice. "Even if our feet dip into the softer parts, the spikes are pointing away, so we'll be alright."

The duo moves on, making crunch noises with every step.

They reach stone ground and find a slate below a torch. Faded text make it hard for Aisha to read, but Kuenbaran says, "I believe this is talking about the Ring of Mimir being hidden farther inside."

"Alright! We're so close to finally getting it." While her grandfather continues to eye the slate, the girl proceeds down the hall.

"Hold on, this also warns us about relying too heavily on the ring's power. Aisha! Where are you?"

He sounds distant to Aisha's ears despite her not walking that far away, but when she looks back, the hallway is gone. Only a gray stone wall is there. "H-how did this happen? Grandpa! I'm right here!" She hits it with her wand, but it's solid and clacks upon impact. It's definitely not an illusion.

Aisha tries to sense his El to locate him, but there's an overwhelming amount of magical energy around, clouding her focus. It has to be from the Ring of Mimir, but how can she be so close already?

When the girl turns again, the hallway that was there is replaced by an expansive, barren room. There is an altar in the middle, though. A hole in the ceiling provides ample light to a silver ring, lying flat upon the altar. "No way…" She runs to it, feeling the magical energy getting more tense with every step. It's like invisible hands are slowly choking her, but when Aisha puts on the ring, all strangling comes to a halt. Power surges through her hand to the rest of the girl's body. "Yes, I finally have the Ring of Mimir!"

Celebrations are cut short when someone drops into the room from the ceiling's opening. "Interesting. I never expected a child beating me here." Only a snarky, masculine voice gives a hint to his gender. Almost everything about him, save for his blue eyes, is black. Shoulder-length, white hair stands out, too. Mask, gloves, shoes, and armor conceal any trace of skin. "My name is Hennon, and I'll spare your life if you hand over that ring."

She grins at the amusing threat. "And I'll spare _your_ life if you leave quietly. This infinite magical energy will let me cast spell after spell without running out of mana."

A blade of some black unknown energy appears in Hennon's right hand. "Do a good show with your spells, and _maybe_ I'll let you live after taking the ring."

"I hope you like a heart racing performance." Giggling all the while, Aisha levitates up as fifty-six flaming boulders appear by the ceiling. "Meteor Shower!" They descend two at a time in Hennon's direction, but he's quick on his feet at dodging them while sprinting to her. "Elemental Storm!" Ice pillars rise from the ground and freeze every bit of stone the room has to offer. His running slows down when he tries to stop sliding into the spiky ice, but it's too late as lightning rains upon him.

Hennon twitches uncontrollably as the whole room is engulfed in a storm of fire, swirling around the girl. She yells, "Binding Circle!" His whole body stays perfectly still. Aisha slams her wand into his mask three times, launches electric bolts from the wand through his chest, and outstretches her palm forward. A fire orb engulfs Hennon and explodes. "Infernal Wave!" His body flies high into the air, and when he gets close to landing, Aisha raises her hand. A sharp pillar of ice materializes above her. "Icicle Spear!" Lowering her hand sends it through Hennon's abdomen, pinning him against the wall. His armor falls to pieces and reveals a body made of black energy similar to that of his sword. Only the head looks human-like with pale skin. The ice spear disintegrates around his energy until he lands, face down, on the scorched floor.

With the mask gone, Hennon's clear angered voice is much to her delight. "This… can't be possible!" The ring's infinite magical energy feels so thrilling, especially with how many spells Aisha can use in a row.

She wants to see the full scope of this artifact's potential, and the El within him doesn't seem close to the edge of death yet. He's the perfect guinea pig. With a smile, the girl points her wand down. "Hell Stone!" A spiky, flat pillar with an eye on both sides appears over, spinning its spiked bottom into Hennon's back. He screams as Aisha repeats this spell two more times.

Even after beating this guy to a pulp, she doesn't feel tired in the slightest. It's almost disappointing that he's almost dead now. Hennon's voice is barely a whisper. "Just who... are you?"

"Aisha Landar, but unfortunately for you, that name doesn't matter." She raises her wand. "Because you won't be leaving this place alive. Witness my most powerful spell and be grateful to see this ring's power." The artifact emits a blinding white glow. "Aether Immersion!"

The only thing that happens next is Aisha's pained screaming while she clutches her left hand. White light from the Ring of Mimir envelops her sight as drowsiness takes over. Closing her eyes, the girl collapses forward into a deep slumber.

When Aisha wakes up, she feels the warm embrace of a blanket and sees a wooden ceiling. Turning on her side to look around, bright sunlight from a window reminds her of what happened with the artifact. She feels her left hand, but the Ring of Mimir is gone. Oddly enough, her body feels drained. Aisha thinks, "Was I so used to it that I feel tired without the ring?" That power trip must've changed her for the worse.

This residence doesn't have anything unique to show who it belongs to, so it might be a guest room. There's a piece of paper and her wand on a nearby table, but with one glance, she can see her name. Aisha snatches the note off the muddy-brown wood. It reads, "Dear Aisha Landar, your spells truly entertained me, but your magic show had to end at some point. It seems the Ring of Mimir closed the curtains on you just in time. To repay your performance, I let you live and even assured your old man that I did no harm. If you'd like the ring back, find me. I'm sure my friends will love to see who pushed me to the brink of death." At the bottom, Hennon's signature confirms this is from him. The other side of the paper shows this is part of the map her grandfather looked at before entering the cave.

'Old man' must be Kuenbaran, but he's nowhere in sight. Aisha refuses to believe he died, but how else did Hennon get his map to write the note? She tosses the blanket off, grabs her wand, and runs for the muddy-brown door. Noises of metal clashing against metal, terrified screams, and shattering glass slow her pace. The stench of blood nearly makes her choke. What's happening out there?

When she opens it, the answer takes her breath away upon seeing a village in chaos. White-masked swordsmen are cutting and stabbing people without a mask. There are swordsmen in red fighting back, but the defenseless are screaming in their mad dash to safety. Every cabin has their windows and doors broken in.

There are giant badger-looking animals eating fish, but lightning bolts scorch a few of them. "Aisha, lend me a hand here!" That's Kuenbaran's voice from above. She looks up, feeling relieved to see him unharmed on the roof.

"Grandpa! Thank goodness you're ok!"

Heavy footsteps draw her attention to an even bigger badger-like animal running at her with a sword that's the size of a person. "Tell that guy to stop hurting my phorus, or else he'll have a taste of my William Slash!"

Aisha can't believe these things talk, and his high-pitched voice makes him extra surprising to hear. "As if. Why don't you tell your phorus to leave that food alone?"

The towering animal stomps the grass in a temper tantrum. "No, no, no! If you won't do it, then I'll make that guy stop."

"Oh no you don't!" She points her wand at his face. "Magic Missile!" He tenses up and stops moving, but nothing comes out of Aisha's weapon. Her purple eyes glare at the wand, searching for why it's not casting the spell. "Frost Barrage!" Still nothing. "Chain Fireball!" Three fire orbs appear by her free hand and crash into the phoru's white fur, covering him with flames.

He drops his sword and furiously pats the flames away. The burning animal rolls across the grass towards the other phorus, yelping all the way. "Let's get out of here quick!" They scamper down a stone road until reaching the end of it and then swerve left.

"I'm sorry I wasn't by your side, Aisha." Kuenbaran levitates down from the roof. "It seems the Ring of Mimir stole most of your powers just like Hennon said. That must be why the first two spells you tried using didn't work. The ring is tied to the El, so I brought you to Ruben while you were sleeping since they have an El Stone you can try resonating with. Maybe that'll restore your powers." He extends his hand to the destruction in the village. "But these bandits and phorus had the bright idea of attacking today."

She can feel a headache starting. "This is a lot to take in, so let's deal with the bandits first."

Her grandfather's mouth opens to say something, but he clutches his back and groans. "I think I used too much magic for the day. I'm sorry to leave it all up to you, but I'd be more of a burden if I tried helping."

"Please rest. You've done so much for me, grandpa." Aisha opens the guest house's door for him.

After he goes in, a bell chimes behind her. "Excuse me, do you know why the phorus raided this village?"

The girl turns around to see a tiny phoru holding a box of eggs. "I should be the one asking you that, squirt."

"W-well, they all ran past me without saying anything." He extends the box towards her. "Would you like some hard-boiled Ruchi eggs? The first is free since my brethren caused you trouble."

Aisha reaches out for one, but she pulls her hand back. "Wait, you're trying to trick me into eating your poisoned eggs as payback!"

The little animal sighs. "That's what the boy said, too… Maybe I should go to Charming Geyser for better sales." He leaves the same way the other phorus did.

She feels a little sorry for him if what he said is true. However, this is no time for that. Aisha runs to a group of three bandits cornering an old brown-haired man. "Get away from him!" She throws a fire orb at one of their heads, burning his hair. The bandit drops to the ground and rolls about while the other two back away from Aisha. "If you don't wanna end up like your friend, tell the rest to leave."

"Tsk, I'm sure Boss already finished by now anyway. Men! Let's get out of here!"

Just like that, all of them flee down the road and turn left at the end. This must've been a coordinated attack from what little clues she has. The bandits and phoru used the same road and turned left for their getaway. That bandit mentioned his boss finished something, and a big phoru commanded the others. None of the bandits or phorus attacked each other, too.

The previously cornered man extends his hand. "On behalf of Ruben, I thank you. I am the village elder, Hagus."

Aisha shakes his hand. "I should be the one thanking you for letting me and grandpa stay here."

"Hohoho, no need for thanks." He scans the ruined village. Many red-clothed men are kneeling and sobbing over their fallen comrades. There are children crying next to bloodied adults, possibly their parents. "If I didn't let you stay, we may have lost more people."

The girl stares down at the burnt grass by her feet. "I could've saved more if I wasn't asleep. I'm sorry."

She feels a warm hand on her shoulder. "Don't be. You were out for a week according to your grandfather, so it's a miracle you woke up at all to save the village from getting worse." Aisha looks up at his smiling face. "We have much to discuss, young lass. Let's go somewhere else."

As the two of them walk north along the stone path, more home destruction is evident. Doors are off their hinges, windows have gaping holes, and bloody footprints litter the interiors of every cabin they pass. Crying from villagers become distant the more Aisha and Hagus walk away, yet blood continues to be the only smell wherever they go. She mutters, "Why did this have to happen?"

"Judging from those masks, I can only assume they were sent from Banthus, a notorious thief. Since he wasn't on the front lines, he must've tried stealing the El Stone just outside Ruben."

Her purple eyes widen. "What!? That's the whole reason I was brought here! I need to get back my powers by resonating with your El Stone, but if it's gone…" Losing the Ring of Mimir, her magic, and an El Stone turns Aisha's world upside down. The family name, Landar, is well known for magic, but she can't really own up to it anymore.

They arrive at a wide, circular area that's isolated from the rest of the village and surrounded by trees. The smell of pine is refreshing, but it's even more so after the scent of death. Beyond this stone-covered clearing is a large set of stairs leading up to a house. It doesn't look damaged, so the bandits must not have come this far in their attack. "I've requested the elven people for help because I had a feeling our El Stone would be in danger. I didn't expect it to be so soon, though. Aisha, would you like to help Rena take it back?"

Her eyes light up. "Yes, I'll definitely help! Better than sitting around here doing nothing."

At the middle of the clearing, Aisha hears a woman shouting, "Wait for us!" They turn around to see four people not that far behind. The only female among them is an elf in green clothing. One of the men is carrying a sleeping boy, and they're wearing red clothes similar to the swordsmen who defended Ruben. The other guy is dressed in a blue and black trench coat. "Mr. Hagus, allow me to introduce myself." She bows deeply. "My name is Rena, the elven warrior sent from my people to assist you." Rena turns to the red-clothed swordsman. "I tried to help them retrieve the El Stone, but Banthus got away thanks to Wally's flying machine."

Hagus's brown eyes widen. "Wally? From the town of Elder?" She nods. "I'll have to send a letter to Hoffman for assistance. He's the head of the Velder Commerce Association there, but I'm sure he'll want to build some trust with you first before getting started." His hands pat Aisha's shoulders. "This girl saved the village from impending doom, unlike a certain boy here, so she'll be helping Rena get the El Stone back. Her name's Aisha."

"You have my gratitude, Aisha," the swordsman says.

The taller of the men waves to Hagus. "Sir, I can deal with the matter of trust when I get to Elder. My name is Ciel, and I've been hired by Hoffman to assassinate Wally for numerous crimes. I'll be acting as part of a separate team from the ladies since my allies would like to stay incognito."

Aisha frowns at him. "And _how_ do we work together, separated from your private allies?"

He pulls out a couple palm-sized yellow machines with two red buttons on them. "We'll use these to communicate our plans and actions. Rose made them, so don't forget to thank her later. My other allies are named Zero and Ain." He offers the devices, and each of the ladies grabs one. "The top button will let you share your voice with everyone who pressed it, and if they haven't, it will beep and light up to show someone has pressed the button. The bottom one will deactivate the top button if it was pressed. Any questions or concerns?" They shake their heads. "Good! I'll take my leave now. Call my team Secret Service, or S.S. for short, if you need any help."

When Ciel walks away, Hagus's tone sounds harsher. "Lowe, I hope you know what happened to Ruben because of Elsword." The elder points at the boy. "I understand he wanted to help you, but abandoning Ruben is unforgivable!"

Aisha shouts, "He left everyone to defend themselves!? This kid thought he'd be a hero by stopping Banthus, didn't he?"

Lowe shakes his head. "I'm not sure what his reasons were, but I do know that I wouldn't be here now if he never came. All the cadets I've trained should know they put their lives on the line to protect the El Stone and Ruben. If Banthus killed me, there wouldn't be any future cadets as well trained as them."

Rena puts her hand on his shoulder. "He's right, Aisha. By the time I got to the Tree of El, more bandits were there. If Elsword didn't fight Banthus, Lowe would've been surrounded and outnumbered without a blade to use."

Hagus turns around. "Tonight at seven, I'll hold a strategy meeting with everyone here except Elsword."

The elf yells, "He deserves to listen!"

"He deserves to stay out of our business," Aisha says. "Sure, he may have saved Lowe's life, but his recklessness will be the end of countless others. One look around the village should be enough to understand that."

Lowe screams, "You don't think I know that!?" Tears well up in his brown eyes. "On my way here, each of my cadets hated Elsword. I had to see friends, students, and neighbors dead on the ground, knowing that he could've saved many of them if he stayed. No one saw this coming, so it's not his fault! The fault lies with Banthus and Wally."

Ruben's elder begins to walk towards the house above the stairs. "Speak to me when you've cooled off, Lowe." Aisha follows him, but she can definitely hear someone's heavy footsteps trailing away behind her.


	4. Chapter 4: Learning Dependence

Chapter 4: Learning Dependence

Lowe's dragging footsteps are the only things Rena could listen to ever since they walked away from Hagus and Aisha. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how much her boots would clack on the stone road. His grating feet will drown out the noise. She asks, "Do you feel sad?"

"No."

A resounding slap halts their walking. Rena's red handprint over his cheek stands out like a sore thumb, but that makes the sting over her palm worth it. "Stride with confidence if you really aren't sad! The villagers, especially your cadets, need someone to look up to right now."

He lowers his head over Elsword. "Ok, I am sad."

A finger pulls Lowe's chin up and brings his bloodshot puffy eyes to her stare. "Tell me why. If it's because of what the elder said, don't let it get to you. I'll tell Elsword about the meeting later."

Lowe takes a few steps back. "Everyone hates him, and I don't know what I can do to make them understand who our real enemies are. I couldn't even persuade Hagus and Aisha."

"So? Just because two people can't be convinced, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try again with everyone else." Rena fans herself with both hands. The sun is shining directly above, not giving any shadows room to stretch. That stench of blood is replacing all the pine tree scent from the clearing. "I have an idea, Lowe. Gather everyone at the Tree of El for a funeral and speech. A new environment will help them clear their heads, wouldn't you say?"

His face lights up at the suggestion. "Yeah, that's a great idea—"

"Let's talk while moving, ok? I'll go insane if I keep smelling blood." They continue walking on the stone road, and Lowe's feet aren't dragging anymore. Weeping willow trees hang their long, slender branches above. Rena stops fanning herself and sighs. Everyone, including the elf, is stressed. She has been tasked to protect Ruben's El Stone by her elder, Branwen, and failed on the first day. "I'm sorry for hitting you. It's been a rough few days for me, but you guys have it worse. Anyway, what were you saying?"

Lowe's voice doesn't have the same gusto it had before. "I should be the one apologizing, Rena. You're Ruben's guest of honor along with Aisha and Kuenbaran, but instead of giving help, I'm just depending on you all. Some drill master I am, huh?"

Rena wags her finger at him. "Don't think like that, especially when making your speech. Before I came here, someone named Lincy taught me why I should depend on others. When people shoulder the work, everyone comes out stronger without suffering alone. Of course, you don't want to always be dependent, but I know you're not like that."

Sounds of cloth rustling become clear as they stride closer to villagers. Lowe's cadets are wrapping their fallen brethren in white shrouds while others gaze longingly at the deceased. Their attention snaps to the drill master's booming voice as he shouts, "Thank you all for your hard work! Please bring our lost ones to the Tree of El for their burial. Afterwards, I'd like to give an announcement, so make sure every villager is there in an hour!"

All the cadets nod while the others look back to the wrapped corpses. Rena follows Lowe to a cabin that has broken windows and a door barely hanging on its hinges, looking as bad as every building. There _is_ one house next door that doesn't seem damaged, though. "Welcome to what's left of my home. Could you open the door, please?"

"Of course." The moment she grabs the knob, a snapping noise comes from the hinges. Rena jumps back as the door falls, barely missing the tips of her boots. A deafening slam against the stone walkway follows next. "Oops, sorry."

Lowe walks over the muddy-brown door and into his house. "I didn't have much hope for this anyway, so don't worry about it." He lays Elsword onto a couch and heads to the kitchen portion of the room. "I promised to make him some phoru cookies and spirit tea, but I may as well prepare a lot for the villagers, too. Make yourself at home, and if you can't, that's understandable." He opens several jars with labels on them while Rena sizes the place up.

There are drawings of sheath and sword designs, each with some text, hanging along the walls. One of them is extremely detailed unlike the rest, and its text reads, "Conwell, the magical scabbard searching for the right person to form a pact with." There are bookshelves under each drawing, and some of the book titles under Conwell are, "The Talking Sheath," "Scabbard Or Sword?" and "Dark El Objects."

A groan draws Rena's gaze to Lowe. He's organizing a collection of ruve herbs next to a bowl of whole grain flour, double in quantity. "I'm sorry to ask this, but can you go to Spirit Falls just outside of Ruben? I need a few handfuls of ruve herbs."

"Hey, remember what I said before? Learn to depend on others." When Rena turns to leave, her frown flips to a grin. She can finally get some fresh air far away from all the blood!

Past Ruben's gate is a long but shallow river, and in the distance, Rena can see the town of Elder, surrounded by white castle walls. The elf looks in both directions the river stretches. It must flow to or from her destination, but which way? "Where do I walk to reach Spirit Falls?" From the water's edge, minuscule blue fairies gather in front of her and point north along the river. Rena smiles at them. "Thank you, water spirits." She passes by sweet-smelling white jasmine shrubs the farther the elf travels.

When she finds the river connect to a lake, the sight makes her jaw drop. There's an abundance of tall lotuses over the water, and several earth spirits are under the green plant heads. Even without the El Stone, this place still has a lot of mana for them to flourish. As much as Rena wants to go talk to the spirits, a peculiar sight deserves more attention.

Seven boxes of steaming eggs are spread out behind Ciel. He's sitting down with his back facing her, and she can hear cracking sounds from him. He seems to be doing something over his lap. "Hey, Ciel." The man tosses an egg up, giving a frightened shout. He scrambles on his knees to catch it with both hands. "As a hitman, shouldn't you always be on guard? I'm surprised you got spooked."

Ciel spins around to face her and sits down, sighing. "I _was_ on guard, so you're just too quiet." He continues peeling the boiled egg and drops the shell pieces over the grass. "Anyway, what are you up to?"

"I'm gonna find some ruve herbs, so Lowe can bake phoru cookies."

He reaches in his trench coat and pulls out two grass-green pouches. "Here, I've got plenty." Ciel tosses them to her outstretched hands. She opens one to see that they're all bright green, smelling a bit sweet. "I finished gathering those from around here."

"Wow, is there anything I can do to repay the favor?" She closes the pouch and puts them in her pocket. When she looks back to Ciel, his cold stare is fixated on her.

"After I left, I couldn't help but overhear you all talking, so tell me why you're on Elsword's side. Lowe is that kid's mentor, but you're a stranger that just met the boy. Isn't it clear that Elsword's recklessness is a ticking time bomb?"

Rena sits at the edge of the lake by Ciel, and the earth spirits wave at her. "I used to be like Elsword. It was after my friend, Lua, died right in front of me to a monster." His eyes widen at the mention of her friend's name, but she continues. "I overworked the spirits, and I didn't know how to fight without them. That's why I swore never to rely on spirits again. It was stubborn and reckless, but another spirit taught me how to use them wisely." Rena uses her fingertips to gently pat the heads of the green fairies near her. "Just because someone doesn't know how they should act, that doesn't mean they're a lost cause. I believe I can help Elsword learn from his mistakes."

His eyes focus on the egg now that it's completely unshelled. "Well, I hope you teach him soon if he joins your team. I don't want to be slowed down by his mistakes." After taking a bite, he turns more towards her. "By the way, have you heard of the Night Savers?"

She pulls both hands to her lap and clenches them into fists. The earth spirits, all with scared expressions, fly closer to the lotuses. "I _hate_ the Night Savers. They're assassins and secret agents who try to defend the land by killing those that harm it, so those elves don't even think about rehabilitation." Rena gets up and begins to walk back the way she came. "Thanks for the ruve herbs, Ciel."

"Wait! Could you take these with you?" She gawks at the seven boxes, each lined with ten steaming eggs. "The villagers are better off with them instead of me."

"How did you even get this many?" Rena picks up three boxes, one per hand and one in between.

He nervously laughs while chewing his egg. "I purchased, er, _pillaged_ these from an adorable—I mean, _abominable_ phoru, who stole from several Ruchi nests and boiled their eggs!"

The elf breaks into laughter, struggling to hold onto the boxes. "You don't have to lie. I do some impulse buying, too. If it was from a cute phoru, I may have done the same."

"Y-yeah, but a lot of people will think a guy like me is unmanly if I talk about cute things like that." After his last bite, the man moves ten eggs from one box to another and does it again for the last two. They look like egg pyramids in boxes, but he picks both up with ease. "I'll help you bring these to Ruben."

As they travel along the river, Rena says, "The people who think you're 'unmanly' are narrow-minded. They want you to obey gender norms, ignoring how someone can decide life for themselves. Broadening your horizons can only make you a better person, so keep talking about cute stuff to your heart's content."

"You're the first person to ever say something like that to me." Their trek is filled with Ciel describing a tiny phoru's day, worrying for his business after a boy and a girl scolded his goods.

The scent of death begins to mix with the smell of boiled eggs. If Rena can pinch her nose while holding boxes, she would right now. "I never thought Ruben would stink this bad. You've killed a lot of people as a hitman, so do you get used to smelling blood?"

"I usually kill from afar or do it without spilling too much. That's how I get around the stench, so you can imagine I feel the same way." He bites his lip. "Do you hate me, like you do with the Night Savers?"

"No! Being a hitman is your _job_, and everyone needs some way to make ED." Her concerned green eyes meet Ciel's. "The Night Savers take up killing criminals as their _duty_."

He looks at the river to his left. "What if I told you this job of mine is for revenge, and payment is just another result?"

"Ok, I hate you now." His shoulders dip forward. "But that doesn't mean you can't change, so tell me why you need vengeance."

Ciel lowers his voice to a whisper. "My family was killed by gangsters, and I was taken in by a hitman named Wolvernian. He raised me like a son, taught me how to cook and fight, but even he was killed. The more targets I hunt, the more often I'll meet criminals." His voice bursts in volume. "Eventually, I'll find the people who took away those I loved and—"

"Don't say anymore." When Ciel looks back at her, his eyebrows rise upon seeing a bittersweet smile. "Think about why Wolvernian took you in. He's a hitman, but did he ever leave you for his job? I can't imagine he could and still raise you so well."

The two of them pass through Ruben's muddy-brown gate. "Verni never did leave for very long, and I didn't even know his job until Edel and Sebastian told me after he died." Ciel looks at some of the damaged houses as their boots clack over the stone path. "Hmm, maybe he was trying to live a peaceful life with me and be the family I lost. Would you rather have me do my job without revenge?"

"That's for you to decide, so don't take me hating you as an incentive."

They stay quiet the rest of the trip to Lowe's house and lay the boxes of eggs over the kitchen counter. Lowe's brown eyes widen at the sight of seventy eggs while he pours spirit tea into a barrel keg. "I asked for ruve herbs, but this is pretty good as a substitute for phoru cookies!" Rena gives him the two pouches. After he opens one, Lowe gasps. "Whoa! You two are the best. I'll get right on to baking them, so sit tight."

Ciel washes his hands at the sink. "I'll help, too. I've baked these cookies before."

In just half an hour, they pull out eight trays lined with ten cookies each, all shaped to resemble phoru heads. Their sweet fragrance brings a smile to Rena's face. "Ah, they smell great!"

The hitman grins at her. "When they cool off, why not try one?" His expression drops. "I'm sorry, but I really should get going. Don't want S.S. waiting too long for me." He rushes out, furiously clacking his boots over stone.

Lowe puts a note on the table next to Elsword and lays a plate of ten steaming phoru cookies on top of it. Then, he sets a cup of spirit tea next to the plate. The drill master says, "It's possible for one of the villagers to stay behind, so I want you to guard this house from outside. Someone might want to hurt him."

Rena grips her bow and nods. She sits by the fallen door as Lowe runs back and forth between the Tree of El and his house ten times, carrying cookie trays, barrel kegs, or boxes of eggs. He can ask someone to help, but he must be worried about a potential attack on Elsword.

It's been half an hour since all the villagers have left for the funeral, and she's starting to miss them. Sighing, Rena looks at the sleeping boy. "When are you going to wake—" A tap noise spins her attention to an elf across the street, but she can't believe who it is. "L-Lua…? How are you alive?"

She thinks Lua would look happier to see her, but the swordswoman is staring daggers. "When you ran from the monster that day, the Night Savers treated my wounds. They even let me join their ranks. I've been looking all over for you, and I never thought Ciel would tell me where you were." Her stern voice doesn't make that 'looking' sound heartfelt.

Rena stands up, putting a hand on her bow. "Please, don't say you hate me for running away. There was nothing I could do to help you."

Sprinting closer, Lua unsheathes her blade. "Because you worked the spirits to death, right? All for nothing!" She cuts upward, but Rena back flips away and shoots three arrows of light. In a flash, the swordswoman slides away from the projectiles. "Are you going to kill more spirits trying to defend yourself, or will you run again? It doesn't matter what you do. I'll make you feel the same pain I felt all those years ago, Rena."

"I've learned how to fight with and _without_ spirits properly. There won't be a repeat of that day, so please stop this!" Lua sheathes her sword. "Thank you."

The woman's still giving Rena the evil eye, making this period of rest tense. "I hate _lies_." She jumps at her, foot aiming for the archer's face.

Rena side steps and throws a knee against Lua's stomach, propelling her against Lowe's house. "Slide Double Kick!" Before Lua falls, Rena slides under, kicks her up into the air, and spins around for a back kick, launching the Night Saver across the street. "That was the _truth_." Face turned away, her friend lies motionless on the grass. "H-hey, are you alright?" Every step Rena makes to the fallen elf increases her dread. She couldn't have ended her friend's life out of self-defense, could she? "Please be ok…"

When she reaches down, Lua turns over and kicks. Stumbling back, Rena gasps at the underhanded ploy. "Evoke!" A green orb materializes below, slams into the archer's stomach, and explodes. This sends Rena crashing against Lowe's house to land face down over the grass. She tries to push herself up to stand, but a knee pins her neck. Nothing can be seen, excluding the greenery below Rena's face. Stabbing pain shoots through as many needle-like things dig into her back! As much as she tries to scream, her voice is muffled by the ground. "You know, these briar thorns are just a taste of how that monster dug its claws into me." A chill runs down her spine when she hears scratching metal. "Next up are claw slashes, which my sword can easily replicate."

A gunshot rips the tense atmosphere and ricochets above. Ciel's voice is booming as he yells, "Get off her right now!"

The dominant elf laughs maniacally. "And if I don't, you'll do what!? Kill me? The Night Savers will hound you for taking one of their kin, and I'm sure you don't want to end up like Wolvernian, right?" Rena feels the knee pushing harder on her neck. The ground is starting to look blurry, and the grass's softness is replaced by a numbing sensation.

Another gunshot fires, and Lua's screams fill the air as her weight comes off. "That's a price I'm willing to pay," Ciel says. Rena's senses return after deep breaths. She looks at Lua, clutching a bleeding shoulder. "But you won't be dying anytime soon once I apply first aid and bring you to the Night Savers." His gun blades are trained on the assassin, never wavering just like his glare. "They'll appreciate an explanation from me more than what you could give, so let's get moving."

As Ciel tugs Lua's hand, she looks back at Rena. "Keep my sword as a reminder of what happened here. I'll be back." Near the doorway, the sword's broadside has a black-dotted indent, probably where his first bullet hit.

Rena grabs the weapon, sheathes it, and straps the scabbard around her belt. The new weight is heavy on her left hip. "Thank you, Ciel. I hate you a bit less now." He gives a bittersweet smile before dragging Lua away. Once they leave, she glances at Elsword, still asleep. "Out like a log."

She tries to sit up, feeling the abdominal pain surging through. Rena leans her back against the doorway and feels the briar plunge deeper! She lunges forward, screaming as both hands scramble behind and pull each thorn out.

Part of her wants to catch up with Lua to yell out everything stressful, hoping that she'll discipline the Night Saver. Another part is heartbroken and horrified to see her friend use torture. Is it acceptable to even call Lua a friend now? No, she's a _fiend_, who probably tells other Night Savers how Rena is a threat to spirits. The Lua she knows from long ago is dead. Like some cruel monster, this Lua wants to see Rena suffer. A tiny part of her does hope things will turn back to how they were somehow. It sounds impossible and foolish, but she can't fully accept that friend transformed into a sadistic assassin.

What can she do to bring the old Lua back? Talking and beating her down aren't going to work, and obviously, letting her torture shouldn't be allowed. A terrifying thought comes to mind. If Lua is really desperate, she may threaten other members of the team or S.S. just to get ahold of Rena. Even civilians can end up in danger. If Ciel never told Lua about her whereabouts, this wouldn't have happened. It's his fault.

Rena furiously shakes her head. No, that line of thinking is horrible. She would only become like Aisha, Hagus, and the villagers, all blaming Elsword for their grief. What would Branwen or Lua's parents say to offer advice? There's one guaranteed solution, but it's far too devastating. Killing her will prevent any harm. Rena can't think of another way, and the more she fails to think of a solution, the more irritated she gets.

"Damn it all!" The elf unsheathes her sword and swings downward at the air, but such unfamiliar heavy weight pulls the weapon from her grip. It spins a few times before stabbing itself into the dirt.


	5. Chapter 5: Corruption

Chapter 5: Corruption

No matter how much Ain squirms, he can't escape the chains wrapping him to a sparrow factory. Rose takes off that white robe to reveal a tattoo across her back. It's a collection of black thorny vines surrounding a rose. Unlike normal tattoos, this one seems alive with its pulsing, like a heart. Everything about it oozes Dark El corruption. "Fight against it, Rose! This isn't like you."

Her voice is slow and menacing as she says, "I'm in _total _control just like how I've got _you_ controlled."

Ain gives a painful shout upon waking. Zero is the first thing he sees, and the robot flies back. "Geez! What's with you, yelling all of a sudden?"

Everything is almost the same as that dream. Ain's body is wrapped over a sparrow factory in blistering chains, burning his exposed skin. His head is stuck looking at the sun and Zero directly above, so he glances to his left. The face of a copper-brown machine is there, and it's carrying the sparrow factory while flying straight ahead. To Ain's right, Rose is facing away with a tank top on, and that robe is wrapped around her skirt. There's no sign of that sinister tattoo, but that doesn't mean it's not there underneath. She's walking the same direction the robot is flying. "Did you have a bad dream, Ain?" That wasn't a bad dream. It must be a sign from the Goddess Ishmael, warning him of Rose's potential corruption.

"Release me this instant!" A snap of her fingers vanishes the chains over him. Despite the burning twinges, he scrambles to his feet and jumps ahead on the dirt road. A surge of pain around his abdomen staggers his landing, but he focuses on sensing the El from Rose instead. There's only Dark El within her, an abnormality among the living. All life must have the six types of El present. Even a demon, which would certainly have as much Dark El, should possess every type.

She and the robot come to a halt since Ain is in their way. "Hey, you probably shouldn't move so much. Let me check your wound and explain what happened." When she walks closer, Ain puts his hand in front of him, gesturing to stop. "Is something wrong?"

Smiling widely, Zero whips around to Rose's face. "See what I told you? Tying him down like that would make him cranky, and _maybe _he doesn't trust us now."

Her eyebrows furrow at him. "Well, he's not normal, so _maybe _he'd be ok with it." She points a thumb at her face. "Besides, I wouldn't mind if I was carried that way."

"Oho! Never took you for the bondage type."

Rose stomps the dirt, creating a brown cloud around her boots. "You know that's not what I meant, sir! It's all about safety."

Ain shakes his head and says, "How I was carried isn't the issue. Take off your shirt."

Her cheeks' skin color quickly shifts from tan to bright red, and those blue eyes widen drastically. "E-excuse me? _That's _the issue!?"

"Yes."

Zero, still having that incessant smile, flies towards Ain. "Whoa there, buddy! I appreciate some eye candy, but you're being _way _too aggressive." A chain blade materializes in Rose's hand. "Get more friendly, and I bet she'll take her shirt off for you." That weapon of Dark El wraps around Zero through an upward swing, only missing Ain's nose by an inch. Almost instantly, the robot is confined to a metallic prison. His gaping mouth and widened eyes are hardly visible behind the chains. "Not again!" Rose pulls him to her feet and stomps on the yellow backside, pushing his face into the dirt.

"That's enough out of you, pervert!" Her glare shoots up to Ain. "And you better watch your mouth, or I'll—"

He sighs and shakes his head again. "Allow me to rephrase what I said, Rose. I need to eliminate the Dark El from your back, so remove your tank top."

"I refuse." When she lifts her foot off Zero, several chain blades appear from her hand and stab into the ground by the supervisor. They wrap over and pin him down. "I absorbed Dark El for power, so I can fight against the demons. As helpful as Zero's weapons can be, they don't compare." Rose spins around to the flying robot that's carrying the sparrow factory. "Demons could rip these apart, and before, I couldn't lift a finger against them." She hurls a chain blade straight through both. They explode as she turns again, smiling at Ain. "Don't you see now? I need this power, and I'm not about to let you take it away." That smile drops to a frown. "I don't care if I have to kill you to protect the Dark El, so don't even think about it."

Ain tightens the grip on his white pendulum until it shatters into pieces. These fragments disappear, and then, an azure sword forms in his hand. The man's gray hair shines white as his robes obtain a blue glow. "If I need to use force, I will not falter." After lunging forward, another surge of abdomen pain follows. He grits his teeth against the inconvenience. "Know that I'm doing this... for your sake, Rose." His next pained step makes him wobble before pressing on. "No one should have this much Dark El, and I don't want you corrupted." Pain is hindering mobility far more than he expected. From his palm, he throws El energy in the form of three, shining bullets. Rose takes to the sky and swerves around the last bullet's explosion, a Wind El blast.

She rushes him, swats the sword away, and shoves Ain to the ground. His landing kicks up a brown dirt cloud. It makes him cough, so he waves away the filth. Several chain blades pin his body as she laughs. "I'm in _total _control just like how I've got _you _controlled." Those are the exact words from that dream! Ishmael must've constructed it as a premonition of things to come. "If you don't mind, I'll check your wound now." Despite being chained down, Ain continues to wriggle. He needs to do something to get a better grasp of the situation. "Relax! Nothing bad's gonna happen to you or me, ok?" She pulls his robe aside to reveal a belly wrapped in gauze bandage rolls. Her fingers try to pinch one end of a roll, but with all the movement from Ain's body, she can't.

He shouts, "Release me this instant!"

She pulls her hands back and glares at him. "As soon as you calm down and I check your wound, I _will_. You're making this _very _difficult." This doesn't slow Ain's desperation, though. Rose screams, "Why can't you understand that I care about you!?" Why should a frivolous thing, like caring, make him calmer? "I want to believe we make a good team. If I can't even check your wound, this is where I say goodbye."

Ain stops moving. Her flight and Zero's vision are great assets, so losing both would be detrimental. "Wait, I'll let you check my wound on one condition. I get to see your back's tattoo."

"How about I show you right now while you're stuck?" Facing away from him, Rose lifts that tank top up and over her head. Only a fist-sized rose bud is there at the center of her back. It seems the corruption hasn't become as severe as the dream showed, but something must still be done to eliminate the Dark El. "Zero told me that it grows and moves the longer I'm fighting. Afterwards, it shrinks to the size of a thumb. It's probably bigger than that right now."

She puts her shirt back on and kneels by Ain's side. One bandage roll at a time, Rose uncovers the bloody gash across his belly. He winces as she applies Yggdrasil leaves. "I, er, don't remember sensing those before."

Covering the wound with new gauze, she says, "I met a guy named Ciel after you fainted, and he offered them to me. He's trying to kill Wally, the man who got the El Stone, so Ciel wanted to team up with us since we need to get it back. Zero and I agreed." Ain doesn't remember sensing any men nearby, so how did Ciel find them? The only people around were hidden female elves. "Then, I asked him to contact the El Search Party in Ruben as our mediator. I made some communication devices for him to hand out, too. Now, we should be able to track their progress and even help them while staying hidden."

This sounds too good to be true. Ain can't wait to meet this fellow, so he can assess how trustworthy Ciel really is. "Where were you going while I slept?"

"Elder, the town Wally is ruling over." She applies the last bandage roll, sighing deeply. "Ciel told us to wait for him by the western entrance. Just past this misty swamp is all that's left, according to what he said at least." He glances to his right. This dirt road and forestry leads to a wall of fog, dense enough to cloud any visibility. Zero's sight and Ain's sensing will be vital for passing through, which begs the question of how Ciel can traverse in it. "I'm about to release you." He looks at Rose, who has both hands on her hips. "Don't try anything fishy now, ok?"

The chain blades over him and Zero disperse. Ain carefully stands up, feeling the abdomen pain trying to push him down. The robot zips in front of Rose's face and yells, "What did I say before? Don't pull that stunt again! I'm detecting indents, which can lead to interior damage."

She grins and waves him off. "You brought this on yourself, sir. Try to keep it in your pants next time." Rose leads the way into the wall of fog while Zero and Ain follow. "I'll handle any fights we come across, got it? I'd like to show how big this tattoo of mine can grow." If that's supposed to be taunting, it is futile. The mere sight of Dark El corruption is more disgusting than provoking.

Following Zero and Ain's directions, they walk across shallow portions of a lake amid the swampy grassland. The fog is so thick that Ain can barely see the muddy water below. If his injuries aren't so cumbersome, he would certainly take advantage of the fog to attack Rose and eliminate the Dark El within her. Once they come back with the El Stone, this idea must be executed. Their splish-splash noises from walking remind him to use Water El to freeze the lake while she's in it. That will provide him an advantage, too.

"Do a left turn and walk straight," Zero says. This supervisor should be destroyed first. His vision, weaponry, and the El shard within that metallic body will assist her more than Ain prefers, so the best time to strike will be after he gives a new direction to walk. That'll be when Rose is preoccupied with new orders.

Once past the lake, Ain senses large bursts of Fire El and many humans running. "There's a large group of people coming up. Something has an incredible amount of Fire El among them."

"Looks like a demon," Zero says.

The more they approach, the more Ain's suspicions ring true. A holy beast, the ancient phoru itself, is breathing fire at humans. Two people are inside an airborne nasod, and between them is the El Stone. "Hold on, you two." Rose and Zero stop moving. "Not that far ahead, Banthus and Wally are inside a flying nasod."

"What's a 'nay-sode'?" As much as he would like her ignorance to be a joke, Rose's horrible pronunciation suggests otherwise.

"Na-sod. It's a mechanical race that humans created, similarly to your machines and Zero, but they're powered by the El instead of whatever power source you're using." Ain wants to probe her for details on this mysterious power source, but now is not the time. "Anyway, there are also humans—most likely their minions—fighting a holy beast. It may look like a demon to you, but it's a protector of the El Stone. As berserk as it is now, we will only be in the way. I recommend waiting until one side falls. Then, you hurry to slay whoever is left and retrieve the El Stone."

"Can we do something to make sure the holy beast stays alive?"

Ain expects her to agree with his plan, but of course humans are hard to deal with. "The sole purpose of that holy beast's life is to _protect _the El Stone. We will be honoring its sacrifice by taking the El Stone back, so nothing bad will—"

Her voice is trembling as she mutters, "You think there's _nothing _wrong with it dying? Is there value in its _death _just because it devotes life to protection? My father thought the same about his own death as a general." Rose shouts, "That's nonsense! Every life should be treasured, never taken for granted. If you don't come up with another plan, I'm heading in there alone to fight!"

She's getting emotional again. How troublesome, especially when being suicidal with that kind of plan. Ain isn't pleased about losing a valuable team member to something this illogical, though. "I can feed the holy beast mana to calm it down, so it won't attack us. While I do that, fight off anyone near me. I need to be close to the holy beast. Zero, you have to give directions to Rose on where to go."

"You'd make a good tactician, Ain." And this supervisor would _not _be a tactician since he didn't object to Rose's faulty plan.

She gives a thumbs-up in Ain's direction and says, "I appreciate your support. Let's do our best out there, ok?"

"It's foolish to not perform optimally, so of course everyone should 'do our best.'"

They pick up the pace until arriving at the battlefield. Thanks to more fire breathing, fog isn't an issue anymore, so Rose has Zero transform into muskets. The ancient phoru is gigantic compared to normal phoru! Even when surrounded by swordsmen, just one swing of its arm chucks the bandits skyward.

The grassy wetlands feel more like a sauna the closer Ain approaches the holy beast. Within ten feet, he outstretches his palm towards it. "Flower and Leaf's Protection!" An azure sphere of light encircles himself. From this sphere, yellow particles seep into the ancient phoru's body. It stares at Rose and Ain for a moment before spewing flames at Banthus's minions. More ruffians emerge from the walls of fog, but shots from Rose make quick work of them.

Ain senses Wally's nasod flying towards Elder, and it seems the holy beast knows of that, too. It rears its head back for a geyser-like fire shot, piercing the sky of fog. Then, it stops firing. That nasod barely avoids the flames, and someone holding the El Stone is falling. The ancient phoru moves both paws up to try catching the descending figure. Its guard is lowered since the El Stone is dropping from the sky, regardless of who is with it! Ain yells, "No, don't stop attacking!" Only one person would fall with the El Stone.

Banthus lands on a paw and stabs his broadsword into the holy beast's skull, killing it instantly. The massive body collapses forward and shakes the swamp. He pulls his weapon out, drenched in blood. "That was easier than I thought."

Like a bullet, Rose flies straight for him. "You're dead meat!" Wally's giant blue nasod dives between, like a wall having a head and arm cannons. Its falling impact shakes the ground enough to knock Banthus and Ain off balance. "Get out of my way!" She hurls a chain blade at the neck, cutting it off and pushing the machine backwards to Banthus. Ain can sense that Wally is seated at the center of that nasod, so she should've aimed lower. Its massive arm swings, chucking her to Ain's feet. As much as he wants to join the fight, his wound renders him useless. "Why you…" Rose shakily gets up as Banthus hops aboard the nasod. It soars away before she could aim a shot. Like a child having a tantrum, Rose throws the muskets at the ground. "Damn it!"

She chains them down and takes off her tank top. As if matters can't get worse, the tattoo from Ain's dream is there. A head-sized black rose is in full bloom. Thick as fingers, its thorny vines writhe across her back and neck. She walks to the ancient phoru's head, split open from the attack, and stretches her arms over the bloody face. This is his chance. While Rose is preoccupied, Ain tiptoes behind. He should be able to purge the Dark El by applying Light El through his hands. With a few more steps, he'll be able to grab that tattoo.

A low swipe backwards from her summons chains around his feet. No matter how much Ain tries to walk, he's held forcefully. "You're the one who's corrupted." Tears are trickling down her cheeks as she turns around to shout, "You don't mourn for the dead _or _care about how I feel!" A chain blade materializes in her hand, inches away from his neck. "I oughta kill you right now, but I'll give you a chance. Tell me how you'll change for the better. If you don't say what I like, you die."

The corruption has really sunk in if her emotions are this wild. Instead of reasoning with Rose, like a sensible person would, he thinks of something she probably wants to hear. There's her concern about the dead and how she feels. He needs to pick one and tell a change in himself that relates to the subject, trying to sound genuine, too. "It's obvious that we have a hard time with each other, so I want to understand how you feel." The chains around his feet and Zero disappear as she puts her shirt back on. "You made the right choice, Rose."

She walks to the holy beast's left elbow. "Go hug it, and say, 'rest in peace.'"

This is unnecessary to their progress, but Ain spreads his arms to press against the ancient phoru's head, too massive for him to hug. "Rest in peace." Out of curiosity, he asks, "Why did you want me to say that?"

"To wish its soul a peaceful rest in the afterlife." Wishing is absurd, and they're better off taking action to make its death meaningful. Zero gets in Rose's face only to fly away when she raises her weapon. "Let's get a move on, sir. I don't want Ciel waiting too long."

"O-of course," Zero says. Oh, how the mighty has fallen.


	6. Chapter 6: Power to Protect

Chapter 6: Power to Protect

Elsword lets out a sigh of relief after reading Lowe's note. Mulling over what to do in the meantime, he chomps on a phoru cookie. It's only five in the evening, nowhere close to the strategy meeting's time of seven. The redhead walks to a shattered window, crunching the glass fragments underneath. Sunshine warms Elsword's face as he looks outside. For every ruined house, cadets are chopping and nailing wood to make new doors. Women and children flip over an assortment of fish over fiery grills, which were previously ravaged by the phoru.

The boy sets his empty plate on the table and sips the green spirit tea. It's bittersweet, fitting the mood he's got. Even though the people Elsword cares about the most are alive, the same can't be said with the other villagers. A stroll through Ruben sounds like a good way to relieve stress, so he straps his weapon to his back and opens the door.

It falls over, making a deafening thud over the stone path. To him, everyone seems to be staring daggers into his heart. It's only natural to criticize a runaway who can't even protect the El Stone. Part of him wants to leave, but he can't just abandon Ruben. At least, not until he brings Elesis back.

There's one person looking at him with a face of sunshine, though. Rena waves and says, "Elsword, are you feeling ok?" She walks closer to him until the others couldn't be seen behind her. Before, Rena didn't have a sword by her hip. The redhead is a bit curious about where she got it, but now isn't a good time to ask. "Don't let the others bring your spirits down. They don't know what you went through to save Lowe."

He shakes his head. "Never mind that! What happened to Banthus and the El Stone!?"

Rena puts a finger to his lips. "Not so loud. Hagus wants the villagers to focus on patching Ruben up instead of worrying about the El Stone."

After she takes her finger off, the boy lowers his head. "Sorry. Let's go in Lowe's house to talk."

He turns around but freezes when she says, "Hagus included you when he said that to me." Elsword grabs Rena's hand and pulls her towards the house. "H-hey! What are you doing? I just said—"

"If you think I'm gonna listen to what that old man has to say, you're just as foolish as him."

After he brings Rena inside, Elsword lifts the fallen door and puts it back into place. Giving a sigh of relief, the elf lies over the couch. "I'm glad you didn't listen to what Hagus said."

The boy sits on the moss-green carpet, across the table from her. "Then, why bother persuading me?"

She points at the door. "They'd probably tell Hagus that I told you what happened, especially since you made that scene. However, you dragged me inside." Her lips curl into a sly smile. "Now, they won't know whether or not I told you anything."

Elsword slams his hands over the table and shouts, "You mean you'll—!" She puts a finger over her own mouth, gesturing to be quiet. He lowers his voice to a whisper. "So, you'll tell me?"

Rena nods and says, "An old man named Wally was on a flying robot, and he used it to carry Banthus and the El Stone away before I could get to him. That Wally is the same Wally who rules over the town called Elder, just northeast of here."

The redhead puts both hands behind his head and lies down. "Well, that's not too bad then. All I gotta do is tag along with you and Aisha on the way to Elder. When we get there, I'll ask someone where to find Wally and beat the heck out of that geezer."

"I doubt it'll be that easy. He's probably going to raise security to stop people, like us, from taking it back."

Elsword sits up with a grin on his face. "So what? We're both pretty tough, and I'm sure Aisha is, too, if she fought off the bandits and phoru in Ruben."

"If it was going to be that easy, Hagus wouldn't plan a strategy meeting for us in the first place." The boy responds with an annoyed grunt. "Instead of getting impatient, why not do something productive to pass the time until seven? Wanna show me around Ruben?"

He lies back down. "There's not much to show here, but we do have an accessory shop if you're interested."

She claps and rushes to his side. "That sounds great! Let's go check it out." The lady grabs Elsword's hands, pulls the redhead up, and drags him to the door.

He's struggling to keep up with her. "W-wait up! What's the hurry?"

"I just wanna make sure we have enough time to enjoy shopping, so c'mon!" Rena lets go of his hand and pushes the door to the ground. A deafening slam from it turns everyone else's heads to the duo, but she takes Elsword's hand again, pulling him out of the house before he has a chance to gawk.

As Rena brings him away from the residential houses and closer north, the boy realizes they're going directly where they need to go. All they have to do is follow the stone path to the rock wall at the end. Then, a right turn is all they need. There are other roads they passed by, which intersect this main one. "Didn't you say you wanted _me_ to show you the accessory shop? You're taking the fastest route there, almost like you already know where to go."

She lets go and smiles. "O-oh, really? I was just guessing Ruben had its homes and commerce separated, so the first thing to do would've been to go in this direction. Feel free to lead the way."

What's the big deal here? He doesn't understand why Rena isn't saying she knows how to get there, and there's no problem with telling him that. Elsword continues walking on the stone road, staying in front of her. "How do you like the village so far? Minus the damaged property of course."

The gray pathways intersect with equal space, so the farmland is evenly divided by them. Each northern block of soil has rows of tomato vines around wooden poles and scattered carrot patches. The southern blocks have crushed watermelons, and there are apple trees with claw markings. "I like the vegetation around here, but I'm sure it'd look better if the phorus didn't make such a mess. Why would they do such a thing?"

"Beats me." He stops walking and turns around to face her. "There have been a lot of things on my mind lately, so I forgot to ask you this a long time ago." Elsword scratches the back of his head. "Um, why did you come to the Tree of El back then, and how come you're helping us get the El Stone back?"

Rena tries to stifle her laughter but to no avail. "I was wondering when you'd ask me that. My village elder sent me here to guard the El Stone, and obviously, I can't do that if Wally has it." She crosses her arms. "So, are you going to tell me why you were there? Lowe couldn't understand what you told him."

He turns around and continues walking. "I can't really explain it any better than what I already said. If you want to think of that dream as some premonition, go ahead." The tap-tap sounds of footsteps behind leads him to believe Rena's following. "I could've ignored it, thinking it was just a nightmare, but I was scared." He clenches both fists after realizing that he admitted his fears, like how the Elesis from his nightmare described. "Yeah, I was scared that I might not be able to help Lowe protect the El Stone. If I couldn't do that, how could I bring Elesis back?"

"Bring who back?"

Elsword points a thumb at the side of his head. "My older sister, Elesis. Sometime after my dad left for the Velder Civil War, he sent a letter to me, saying he might not return alive but wanted us to stay home. Elesis ran off to help him, and I tried to stop her, but I wasn't strong enough. Anyway, returning the El Stone oughta be good training for me." After thinking about it, that'll probably clear his reputation with the villagers as well.

They reach the end of the road and turn right to see the front of a colorful little store. Its yellow door has scattering lines of orange. Oval windows on both sides of the door have swirled white paint around them. A large rectangular sign in front of the pointy rooftop displays the text, "Ann's Accessories," in red. The building's upper half is red-orange, and the lower half has gradually brightening shades of that color the more you look below the door's top. What's strange about this store is that there's no exterior damage, unlike the other houses.

"Wow, it's like I'm looking at the setting sun," Rena says. "After you, Elsword."

For wanting to see this place so eagerly, this is a surprise. Maybe she's really polite. He opens the door and walks in just to hear it slam behind him. From a glance, he couldn't see anyone in the wreckage of a store, which feels off even with the construction in the village. He turns to see the yellow door from earlier, and a click from the knob makes him worry more. Is this a trap? When he tries to turn the bulb knob, it rattles and refuses to twist all the way, irritating him. "Rena, did the door close by itself after I got in?"

"Y-yeah! It closed on its own. I'm gonna bring someone to help, ok?"

Elsword's suspicions seem to be right. He pounds the yellow wood and shouts, "The bandits must've done something to the door to trap people inside for kidnapping! Why else is the outside undamaged compared to the other buildings, and there's no one inside here? I bet as soon as you leave, a bandit's going to sneak in and ambush me." After taking a few steps away, he unsheathes his sword. "Just stand back! I'll cut the door with one Mega Slash."

A shrill voice behind him screams, "No, don't!" That must be a bandit who's about to ambush him, so Elsword spins around, brandishing his weapon above. "Eek!"

The person on the floor is actually a familiar petite woman. Eyes shut tight, she's got both hands over her pink hair. The boy sheathes his blade and kneels to get a better look at the lady. "Oh, it's only you, Ann."

She opens her blue eyes and pushes him to his back. "What do you mean, 'oh, it's only you, Ann,' when you were about to break my door and cut me up!? Shouldn't you be apologizing?"

He jumps to his feet and pulls her up. "There's no time for that. We gotta leave, or else bandits will ambush us."

Ann facepalms. "Elsword, you've got it completely wrong. Bandits aren't involved at all. Since my shop is so close to Ruben's entrance, everyone worked really hard to make it look good as new first. That's why the outside isn't messed up like the other buildings. With the door, I asked Rena to lock and hold it so we can talk alone."

His eyebrows furrow as he crosses both arms. So, that's why Rena wanted him to come here quickly. "You could've just _asked_ for a private talk."

She extends her arms towards the broken display stands for trampled armbands and rings. "If I asked you to help me clean all this, I bet you'd 'save it for later,' avoiding me all the time."

Sighing, Elsword sags his shoulders. "Alright, alright. I do have some time, so I'll help you out, but why me?"

"First, help me carry this." They lug a splintered wall cabinet towards the other side of the room. "I heard what happened this morning from Hagus, so I was worried. Before your sister left, she told me to help Lowe look after you—"

He stops walking halfway through the store, abruptly pulling her to a halt. "Wait, you talked with Elesis before she left, and you didn't try stopping her?"

Ann tugs the cabinet her way. "Let's talk while we work. C'mon, my arms are gonna fall off!" They continue walking to the other side of the room, stepping carefully around wooden debris. She stops at a door, similarly colored as the entrance. "Slowly, put it down with me." While the cut-up bottom of the cabinet lowers to the muddy-brown floor, Ann says, "Even if I wanted to stop your sister, I'm sure she wouldn't listen. Elesis is stubborn, like a certain someone." A creak and two soft thumps sound out from the furniture when they let go.

"And who is this certain someone?"

"Oh, nobody you need to know." Ann grabs two brooms next to the door and gives one to Elsword. "Could you sweep all the broken glass and metal into one pile at the middle of the room? I'll sweep everything else over here."

"So, what did you and my sister talk about?" The clinking of glass against metal shards creates a rhythmic beat with his tapping steps and broom sweeps.

"Just some girl talk." Her sweeps clatter while smashed figurines sprawl across the floor. "Lowe thinks you might be leaving Ruben to get our El Stone back. Why not leave it up to Rena and Aisha?"

He freezes in place. If Elsword confirms this, Ann will know he'll be gone before actually leaving. How can she bear to see Elsword go when Elesis asked Ann to look after him? Thinking of a good lie on the spot feels tough to pull off, so there's nothing left but the truth. "I'm sorry, but I have to—"

Ann's broom falls to the floor with a loud snap while she rushes to Elsword's side. Her voice is muffled as her face presses against his shoulder, both arms hugging him tight. "No, you don't! I dun wanna lose another friend…"

When she lets go, streaks of tears under puffy eyes stand out. It's unusual to see her like this, but Elsword has an idea to cheer Ann up. He wipes the tears with his thumbs and squishes her cheeks together. "I'm not going to die, and neither will Elesis, wherever she is. Rena and Aisha will be helping, too. You don't have to worry with them looking out for me." Elsword releases her cheeks to see a bittersweet smile. "We'll be back before you know it."

"I had a feeling you'd still go, but don't forget that Lowe and I will miss you a lot!"

"I promise I won't forget."

They resume their sweeping until all the debris has been collected. The sunset peers through the windows as the duo stands by the front door, facing each other. "I can take care of the rest," Ann says. "You have somewhere you need to go after all."

The boy nods while he opens the yellow door. Rena is leaning against the rock wall across, smiling at Elsword. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on him, Ann."

"I'll hold you to it! Both of you better come back safe and sound."

By the time Elsword and Rena get close to Lowe's house, night approaches. All the villagers enter their shoddily repaired houses, dimly lit from candles by their windows. Food stalls look clean, but their scent of fish still lingers. The elf's voice cuts in the duo's tapping footsteps. "I'm sure you could've guessed, but there aren't a lot of people here that like you."

"They have every right to hate me. If I was stronger, maybe I could've protected the El Stone and come back to save everyone." He dips his head down. "I wouldn't be surprised if you hated me, too."

"And why would you say that?"

"W-well, I might seem more like a burden than a helpful teammate. Compared to you and Aisha, I'm probably not that strong."

He feels a hand ruffle his hair. "I appreciate the compliment, but you've got it backwards. A person with clear goals in mind will finish them sooner than someone indecisive, like me. Believe it or not, you'll be helping me decide what to do about a certain someone."

Elsword takes her hand off his head and looks up at Rena. With a kind smile, the woman gazes down at him with those green eyes. "I'll take your word for it, but I'm not sure how I can help if I don't even know this 'certain someone.'"

"I'll tell you tomorrow with Aisha."

As they walk closer to the elder's house, he sees men patrolling the perimeter. They must be Lowe's cadets, judging from the similar red and gray uniforms they have on. Torches are set up around the rock walls surrounding Hagus's place, but his residence is still a fair distance up the stairs from where these guys are. Why guard so far away?

When Elsword and Rena enter the stone clearing, the cadets gather in their way. They total up to twenty-one, all with piercing glares focusing on him. The one closest to Elsword crosses his arms. "Hagus had a feeling you'd show up around here. He asked us to turn you away, with force if necessary." He slides a thumb across his own neck. "But what if we had a little accident on our blades?"

Another from the back yells, "Yeah, this is what you get for deserting us! Do you know how many friends and family we lost today!?"

There's no use trying to talk them out of a fight, so if they want one, they'll get one. Elsword draws his weapon, pointing it at the first in front. "I will get past you lot, even if I have to knock out every person standing in my way."

"Ha! You think you can get past all of us?" They unsheathe their own blades and point them at the redhead.

Rena notches an arrow of light, aiming at the first cadet in front, too. "Lower your weapons and let us pass, or else."

"I dunno why you're standing up for the kid, but if you're on his side, we won't hold back."

Elsword swats the cadet's blade to the side, backing him away, and spins his own weapon around, slashing at other blades. They disperse while he swings the blunt side of his sword two more times at the first cadet's elbows before spinning again. "Fatal Fury!" The surrounding men are thrown off their feet and fall over the farthest cadets, but they quickly get up and charge at the boy. He rolls away from them until they're grouped together. Now, Elsword is on the opposite side of the clearing, closest to Hagus's residence. "Looks like I _did_ get past."

The farthest man from him yells, "You think you've won just because of that!? We'll hound you down to the elder's house if we have—" An arrow flies through the man's chest, shoving his body to the black ground.

"I warned you," Rena says. "He's done some bad things, but please let him go, ok?"

A cadet near her shakes his head. "You think we're gonna let him walk away because you said so? Are you stupid?"

Rena somersaults towards the speaker and back flips, slamming her heel into his chin. "Assault Kick!" He falls, completely motionless. "I'll ask again. Please let him go, ok?"

The farthest cadet from them shouts, "The half of you closest to our guest, restrain her! For the other half, kill the brat!"

Nine swordsmen at each side of the clearing rush at their respective foes. Rena looses arrows into them before they can reach her, and Elsword jumps back from his attackers. By flanking him, they're never giving the redhead an opportunity to strike. If he could attack from range like her, this fight wouldn't be a problem. Out of the corner of his eye, Elsword sees a cadet about to attack him, but he blocks just in time. However, this lets everyone swarm him. They all strike his head with the blunt side of their blades, tumbling Elsword to the cold rocks. Sharp pain throbs around his skull as he clutches it.

One of them mutters, "You think we'll be satisfied with a quick kill? You'll wish you were dead by the time—"

"Rail Stinger!" A large radiant arrow pierces the cadets above Elsword, splattering blood over his body. Rena hurries to his side. "Are you ok, Elsword?"

"I think... I'm ok." With her arm supporting his shoulder, he stands up and looks at their fallen attackers. Even though it was night, the pools of blood underneath them are plain to see thanks to the torches. "I didn't want them to die. They're victims, too." If the cadets stopped attacking because of fractured bones or other nonfatal injuries, that would be more ideal than this.

"I'm sorry. I should've held back."

Elsword tries to shake his head, but the pain freezes him into place. After a few seconds, he says, "No, it's not your fault. It's mine. I wish I was stronger, so you wouldn't trouble yourself."

She gives him a bittersweet smile. "Don't feel too bad. Everyone needs time to grow in their life, some more than others. Even I wasn't this tough before." Her body dips a bit, dragging Elsword down, too. She fumbles her footing a little before making a firm, wide stance. "Sorry! I'm not used to holding people up, but I can still help you walk to the elder's house if you can move a little."

He nudges her supporting arm off and drags his feet towards Hagus's residence. If they stay together, their footsteps would be too loud and alert Hagus or Aisha. "I can get there by myself. Go on ahead." Despite his words, the pounding headache and dizziness are making each step wobbly.

It isn't long before his body collapses. "Elsword!" Rena turns him over to his back, so his bruised face isn't against the rocky ground. "Why are you pushing yourself so hard? I'm right here."

It's difficult for him to talk, so he only smiles back. Rena's so admirable. By this point, he expects her to be utterly disappointed in his weakness and leave him. The elf still wants to help, which is something to be grateful for. She bites down on her lip before looking past the boy. He hears light and heavy footsteps coming from the direction of Hagus's residence. Their clacking on stone quickens and grows louder by the second. "Elsword!" That's Lowe's voice.

A high pitched feminine voice shouts, "Rena, what happened!?" That has to be Aisha. No one should be around the house besides her, Lowe, Hagus, and Rena after all. He can't turn his head to know for sure, so the starry night sky and Rena are all he can see.

She grabs Elsword's weapon and points it in the direction of the voices. "The cadets that _you_ told to keep him out wanted revenge, and when I tried to stop them, they attacked me! What were you thinking, elder?"

A lengthy silence passes before Hagus's gruff voice is heard. "My mind wasn't very clear at the time I requested their service. Now, it's clear that I misjudged those cadets for what they truly were. I give my deepest apologies to all of you." Rena lays the sword beside the redhead. "Before, I was against Elsword joining you and Miss Aisha, but I've had a change of heart. The tension among those who mourn for lost loved ones may seek vengeance on the young lad, so with him away from Ruben, that tension may settle down."

Elsword feels his relief, pounding headache, and sleepiness mix when the voices around him fade. It's not long until his eyelids grow heavy and close.


	7. Chapter 7: Greenhorn

Chapter 7: Greenhorn

Aisha taps her nails over Lowe's kitchen counter in rhythm with Elsword's snoring. She and Rena are inside the drill master's house while that kid is sleeping over the muddy-brown couch, like he doesn't have a care in the world. The phoru cookies Lowe made taste pretty sweet, but what'd be sweeter is if Elsword woke up already. "That's it! I'm not waiting another minute for him!" Grabbing a pail of water from the sink, Aisha stomps to the redhead while ignoring the startled faces from Rena and Lowe.

Elsword still has blood stains on his clothes and skin from last night. Getting close to him makes the smell more revolting than she expects, so Aisha backs away. In one hurl, all the water crashes onto his face. The boy lunges off the couch with a scream. "What the heck!?" He wipes his face and glares at her, who has a grin stretching from ear to ear. "Why'd you wake me up with that water?"

"Because we're leaving now, so hop to it."

The boy's red eyes grow wide in shock. "Wait, _you're_ Aisha!? You're just a kid!" She can't figure out how Elsword knew who she was, but it doesn't matter. Turning around, Aisha starts walking to the front door. "Hey, aren't you going to explain yourself? How did a little squirt, like you, save Ruben?"

Sighing, the purple-haired girl faces him again. "Obviously, I'm more capable in a fight compared to you, but don't worry about that. I'm nice enough to _babysit_ you on our journey."

He stomps on the damp wooden floor and shouts, "What's your problem!? I'm just confused about how that's possible, so you don't have to be so rude!" This kid's got a lot of nerve by saying she's rude when _he's_ the one who called her 'just a kid' and 'a little squirt'. "I also don't need a babysitter, especially if it's someone who looks as young as me."

Aisha sets the pail down and strides to the exit. "And I don't need a weakling, like you, slowing me down." She pushes the door to the stone ground, creating a deafening slam. "I'll be waiting outside the village, understand?" Morning sun pours through the doorway while Aisha leaves.

On the path to Ruben's entrance, all the villagers greet her with a smile as they pass by, sometimes giving apples and slices of watermelon, too. Despite not saving everyone from the bandit attack, she feels like a hero to them. Who wouldn't after this kind of generosity? Maybe settling here instead of going home after everything's over is a good idea. Free fruit and lodgings are hard to pass up, so Aisha thinks Kuenbaran will probably agree to stay. If he doesn't, she'll have to go back to Sander, a polar opposite village compared to Ruben. There's no way she can make Kuenbaran live by himself after all the care he's done for her. In the distance, Rena yells, "Wait for me, Aisha!"

She only slows her walking pace instead of waiting. The sooner they leave, the sooner the El Stone is back in Ruben for her to resonate with. Then, the search for that arrogant Hennon jerk is next. Rena's furious boot clacking over stone reaches her right side. She breathes heavily and stares at Aisha. "Let me guess. You wanna say, 'don't be so harsh on Elsword because he's a greenhorn, and this journey will only make him stronger,' right? We're up against a notorious bandit leader, Elder's ruling lord, _and_ their underlings, who are likely seasoned fighters. There's no guarantee that he'll even live through this journey to be stronger."

The elf shakes her head, breathing a little better. "That's not what I was going to say. Appearances can be deceiving, so don't underestimate him because of his age or past mistakes. You, of all people, should know that since you're talented and young, too." Rena waves to a pink-haired lady when they turn to Ruben's entrance.

"Hmph, I'll be the judge of that. Speaking of judging, do you think Lowe's sword training helped? You really think it's a good idea to fight with that blade?"

She unsheathes Erendil and holds it in front, eyeing the white metal above the golden hilt. For a sword, the craftsmanship is a spectacle to look at. "I know how to swing the pointy end."

That isn't what Aisha wants to hear. "Better to leave it with that drill master, then. I'm sure he'd love to draw it, like the other sword designs in his house. I don't want you dying on me because of inexperience, too. Your martial arts and spirits will be more reliable."

"I owe it to a certain someone, so that's why I'm keeping it with me. However, I'll be sure not to rely on it so you don't worry too much." She puts the sword back in its sheath. There's her mentioning that 'certain someone' again, but it'd be pointless to ask about the person since Rena doesn't want to spill the beans without Elsword around.

The two of them sit on the grass outside Ruben for half an hour until Aisha spots the boy. His red and black clothes don't have blood stains, and the same goes for his skin. When Elsword finally catches up to the waiting ladies, he extends a hand to Aisha. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's do our best as a team and take Ruben's El Stone back, together."

She waves away the handshake offering and stands up. Crunching green wilted leaves underfoot, the genius mage walks towards the white castle walls of Elder in the distance. "Stay behind us, and I'm sure you'll be safe." The kid dashes in front, sword in his hands. "What did I just say?"

"I can't watch you step into danger, so look closely." What is he blabbering on about? There's nothing but tree stumps and mounds of grass around them, and she can't sense any magical traps hiding in plain sight. Elsword picks up a pebble from the ground and chucks it at a tree stump, knocking it and a few other stumps down. These stumps begin moving, similar to limps, as they stand! Other tree stumps do the same, and the mounds of grass also get up, revealing themselves to be some kind of golem. "Tree knights and fairy guardians, monsters native to Ruben's outskirts. I hope you're ready to fight!"

Even with seven tree knights closing in, Rena's arrows shred them to splinters before they get close to her and Aisha. This elven warrior is definitely going to be a strong ally to have, unlike the kid. Elsword charges at four fairy guardians, all marching to him in a line. Is he insane? Aisha shouts, "Hey, what do you think you're—!?"

"Triple Geyser!" He swings his sword into the grass by the closest fairy guardian, and three pillars of fire erupt from the ground below the four monsters, incinerating them within seconds. The flames spout higher than most oak trees in the forest here, and there's so much magical energy coming from the boy. Aisha can sense it clearly now compared to when she first met him. A strong possession of El within a person's body doesn't mean you're an Elrian, someone who can manipulate the El. Actually using the El proves whether a person is an Elrian or not.

Elsword sheathes his blade and turns to a grinning Aisha, who says, "You should've told me you were an Elrian. With enough practice, maybe you won't be so useless after all."

"Excuse me? You're one to talk, considering you haven't done anything in that fight."

"I didn't need to waste my mana when Rena had us covered. In fact, she's powerful enough to handle those fairy guardians, too. You should've kept your mana for later if we ever need it."

The archer puts both hands on her hips. "I appreciate the compliment, but we should fight as a team instead of making me deal with everything."

Shrugging back, the genius mage says, "I never said you need to. Mana is a resource that doesn't regenerate fast, so we have to spread it out evenly to not waste our team's power." Aisha points at Elsword. "As an example of wasting, he barely has any mana left after that attack while you've lost only a little bit, Rena."

Elsword grunts in frustration and yells, "You're saying we should wait for an emergency to use our mana!? What if that never happens? Rena will be the only one getting any battle experience. We _all_ need to pull our weight in this team, even if it might seem wasteful." This idiot seriously can't tell the difference between spreading out mana and hoarding it. He gives a shout of joy, pointing his finger at Aisha. "I figured out how you saved Ruben!" The kid points a thumb at his own face, blurting out, "And you're not gonna believe how smart I am."

Considering he didn't use the torches last night to defend himself against the cadets, Aisha doesn't believe he's smart at all. This sounds like a funny act of humiliation for him, so why not go along with this? "Alright, tell it to me straight. I'm all ears."

"You aren't really capable of fighting, judging from your lack of combat here, which means you must've used your womanly charm on the bandits and phorus to woo them into leaving." She closes her eyes and then blinks quickly, not knowing what to say to this ridiculous leap in logic. How can a kid be this stupid? Rena has more 'womanly charm,' but does he see the same in Aisha? "I see my amazing deduction has you speechless, so I must be correct."

"A-actually, her grandfather told me she used magic to scare the bandits and phorus off," Rena says.

Elsword steps back. "M-m-magic? You mean tricks that magicians perform on stage?"

What's infuriating is when someone compares her spells to magic tricks, especially since her ancestry is known for being the finest mages in Elrios. "I'm a descendant from the Landar family. Now that you know my heritage, it should be obvious what I did in Ruben."

He slams a fist into his other palm. "Yes, it's clear that your magic was so realistic that they were scared out of the village."

This little brat is practically asking to be roasted if he's going to keep making fun of her talent. "Do you want to see magic, Elsword? I'm sure it'll blow you away." Aisha points up, gathering Fire El in the sky. "Meteor C—!"

She halts the casting when Erendil's tip swings within a hair's breadth of her neck. "I won't tolerate this, Aisha."

The genius mage feels around her neck, not having a scratch. 'Knowing how to swing the pointy end' is quite the understatement if Rena can do such a feat. Even though Aisha doesn't want to back down, calming everyone sounds like a better alternative than getting into a fight. "Ok, ok, I'll stop underestimating you both, _and_ I don't mind how wasteful you two fight."

Elsword scratches the side of his cheek. "Um, what just happened?"

"I'm nicer, so lead the way for us." It's safer to have someone who knows the local monsters going first. When he starts treading to Elder, Aisha eyes Rena, sheathing her sword. "You know how to make a good first impression." Planned out from the start, this elf purposely lied about being inexperienced in sword wielding just so she could make such a surprise. Even though Lowe isn't a good El Stone protector, he must be a good sword trainer to make Rena this proficient.

"Likewise." Aisha isn't sure whether that's a compliment or an insult, but she doesn't want Elsword getting too far ahead by prolonging this conversation.

A mossy white-stoned structure of ruins stand before the trio. As she follows Elsword, Aisha can tell an ancient city used to be here, judging from the overgrown flora in houses and ponds. Their architectural designs look different compared to buildings she has seen from other regions, so it's not like the civilization moved elsewhere and rebuilt. With this much plant life and water, there must not have been a lot of pollution. A sweet fragrance of apples flies by. Feeling a tad hungry, Aisha reaches in her backpack for an apple.

"Look out!" Elsword jumps in front of her and blocks a flying head-sized rock with his blade. "Phorus know we're here now, so keep an eye on the windows." Just past his shoulder, Aisha can see a phoru's head behind a hole in the wall. Its white fur blends in perfectly with the stone's color. The kid may not be very bright or strong, but he's got sharp eyes. "Follow me, quickly!" She feels a warm hand grab hers, pulling Aisha along Elsword's sprint. Rena isn't too far behind as the trio rushes through the mazy path this kid is taking. From almost every window, a rock flies towards Aisha, but Elsword intercepts and keeps going. Why are the phorus only targeting her?

They reach an expansive plaza with two small ponds by another crumbled building, and Elder's western gate is just past that. Unfortunately, the big phoru Aisha set on fire is here. Pink skin is present over his belly where the white fur burned. Shockingly, there's another person-sized sword in his hand despite leaving the last one in Ruben. "We meet again, Aisha." His squeaky voice is going to start a migraine any second.

Elsword shouts, "William, tell me why your phorus stole from Ruben! Don't even lie about not having food because you still got boiled eggs to sell at Spirit Falls."

"Without the El's power, Ruben will become a wasteland. May as well take what we can before migrating, wouldn't you say?" William points his massive blade at Aisha's face. "But I'm not leaving until sweet revenge is mine. This fur doesn't grow back quickly, you know!"

What a selfish animal. Before she could take a step closer, Elsword runs at the big phoru. "You're not laying a finger on her!" A follow-up attack on William sounds like a swift end to him, so Aisha dashes behind the kid. He swings his sword horizontally. Holding his own blade up, William exudes a red aura before Elsword's weapon cuts into his left shoulder, but it doesn't go very deep at all. "W-what the?"

Aisha thinks, "A red aura like that must be protecting him, so a follow-up attack while he's red isn't a good idea."

"William Slash!" The phoru shrugs off the blade and swings his own at Elsword, launching him off the ground. The boy's head rams into Aisha's belly with enough force to propel her off the ground, too! She feels all the air lost from both lungs as throbbing pain erupts from her stomach. When Aisha falls on her back, Elsword's body crashes on top of hers as well. "Ha! Got two birds with one slash."

Elsword's weapon and sheath are making him too heavy to push off, and he won't get up on his own. Aisha tries to inhale and exhale quickly to catch her breath, but his weight is making it difficult to breathe. Rena sprints to them and pulls Elsword off to the side. "I'll deal with this, Aisha. Rest easy now." Three green orbs of Earth El appear and swirl around the elf, concentrating magical energy over her bow. "William, you deserve no mercy for what you've done." She aims right at the grinning phoru. As Fire El gathers around the bow's center, William's grin flips upside down, and his brown eyes grow wide. "Phoenix Strike!" Massive flames, resembling the shape of a bird, fly after the phoru while he flees into the forestry. Any vegetation the house-sized phoenix touches burns to ashes. In its wake, the white stone floor turns pitch black. Smells of wildfire and blood invade Aisha's nose with every sharp inhale.

This elven warrior is a force to be reckoned with, especially when getting on her bad side. A chill runs down Aisha's spine when Rena looks back at her. Those green eyes still have a death stare, but they change to concern after looking at Elsword. It's no wonder as soon as Aisha glances at him. A bloody gash starts from his left shoulder and ends at his right hip. The purple-haired girl shrieks at the gory sight. "I… I told you to stay behind us, idiot. Why didn't you listen?" First aid can't heal a wound this bad, so he'll die of blood loss soon.

Rena shouts, "Airelinna Nymph!" A green sphere of Earth El surrounds them, gradually removing the pain from Aisha's body. She gawks at Elsword's wound closing up in seconds. What _can't_ this elf do?

"Y-you're really something, you know that?" The genius mage can't help but feel envious. Unlike her, Rena has power, good looks, and is full of surprises.

"Not at all." She kneels by Elsword's side, gazing at him solemnly. The kid must be unconscious. Even though the wound is gone, his eyes are still closed, and he won't move. "I'm actually a horrible person." Aisha can't believe this, but before she can speak, Rena unsheathes her sword. "This weapon belonged to someone who used to be my childhood friend and thought dead. Yesterday, I learned that she's alive but hates me for leaving her to die from a monster attack years ago. Her name is Lua, and she became a Night Saver." Rena's voice lowered to a whisper. "I was… tortured by her until Ciel intervened. He said he'll bring Lua to the other Night Savers and explain, but I know they won't listen." Tears roll down from her green eyes. "The Night Savers have a good reason to want me dead, and people around me could get hurt in the process. I don't know if I should fight back or just die, so everyone else can be safe."

With a trembling hand, she inches the blade's white edge closer to her neck. "Binding Circle!" Aisha uncurls Rena's motionless fingers and takes the sword away. "I'm guessing this 'certain someone' you've been talking about is Lua, right?" The elf is still frozen in time, unable to respond. "Anyway, this is definitely something Elsword and S.S. need to know. My opinion won't be enough, but I say you fight back with me by your side." Allying with Rena will likely put Aisha on the Night Savers' hit list, but it's a small price to pay for someone who saved her life. If Rena didn't chase away William, Aisha certainly would've met her end. "Besides, how else can I tolerate a knucklehead like Elsword without you?" She puts the weapon behind her and hugs Rena.

The green sphere of Earth El disappears as the elf hugs back. "Thank you, Aisha."


	8. Chapter 8: Safety in Numbers

Chapter 8: Safety in Numbers

Elesis can't help but look over her father's letter again to make sure this isn't a mistake. It reads, "Dear Elsword, Elesis, and Lowe, the Velder Civil War is ending but not how I wanted it. We're on the verge of defeat, so this will be my last letter. As I fight in the remaining days I have, please stay out there where you're safe. The outside world is dangerous, especially near Velder. Son, make sure you behave and give respect. Daughter, I'm sorry for not returning like I said to you. Lowe, you still have my permission and eternal gratitude for raising Elsword and Elesis in my stead. Good-bye."

She buries her face in Lowe's shoulder, letting her tears flood his red cotton shirt. How could this happen? Elkashu is the strongest man she knows, so how could he be losing that stupid war? Alongside her crying sounds, Elsword is equally loud by Lowe's other shoulder. "H-hey, since when did my shirt become a giant tissue?" Elesis brings herself away and looks up at her guardian, who has a bittersweet smile. "Your old man wouldn't like everyone moping around, so cheer up!"

That's easier said than done, but nonetheless, he carries a sobbing Elsword to their bedroom while Elesis drags her feet behind them. A nagging thought beckons the girl to speak. "Can you go help our dad, Lowe?" It sounds foolish after the words come out of her mouth. Who else would look after them and train Ruben's cadets? Even so, doing nothing while her father is waiting to die sounds even more foolish.

He stops walking down the muddy-brown hallway, turning his head to the left at Elkashu's bedroom door. "You read his letter, didn't you? Your dad wants us to stay away from Velder. We're safer here, and I'm sure he wouldn't like any of us getting hurt if we left Ruben." Lowe continues to the end of the hall and enters the siblings' room. Through a circular window next to the lower bunker bed, moonlight hardly illuminates their path. While he tucks in Elsword, the older redhead climbs up the cold iron ladder to reach her own bed. "Good night, you two." Their guardian gently closes the room's ebony door on his way out.

Despite the warm cotton blanket and soft mattress welcoming Elesis to sleep, she lies wide awake for an hour, lost in thought. If Lowe can't help Elkashu, she needs to find someone who can. No one in Ruben, who hasn't already left for the Velder Civil War, would be a good candidate. They're just farmers, elderly, and young 'uns. In the past, Lowe mentioned how the cadets of Ruben can become knights at Elder, so there must be able-bodied people in that town who can help. Elesis knows leaving Ruben is disobeying her father's last wish, but she would rather pursue some chance of saving him, even if it would be painful, than twiddle her thumbs here.

Making sure not to cause a commotion, she slowly climbs down the ladder and lights a candle with a match. Using the dim light, Elesis hastily folds Elkashu's letter and crams it into her backpack along with clothes and cleaning supplies. The last thing to grab is her claymore, but as she buckles the sheath for it around her waist, rustling sounds come from Elsword's bed. "Sis? What are you doing?"

"O-oh, I'm, uh, going on a hike to the Tree of El. Some exercise oughta make me tired enough to sleep better."

As Elesis sheathes her blade, Elsword sits up. "Can I go with you? I can't sleep, too."

Sighing, the older sibling draws her sword. "I'm sorry, but you need to stay here. You're too young for any kind of fight."

He reaches under his bed for a wooden sword and kicks the blanket off. Standing across from her, Elsword points his weapon at Elesis. "Let's see about that." The boy raises his blade above himself and swings down, but she moves to the side.

Elesis slams the flat side of her claymore against Elsword's forehead, knocking him to the floor with an audible thud. He's not moving at all. In every sparring match, she's never been this forceful to win. Lowe or Elsword would always break up the fight if either of them figured a number of blows to be lethal if done stronger. Even though Elesis is the winner of this match, her heart aches enough to make her feel like she's the loser, but there's no telling what could happen if he's still awake. Elsword may try to secretly follow her. Too scared to check if he's alive or dead, Elesis sheathes her weapon and runs outdoors, wishing their guardian doesn't wake up from the noise.

At this late hour, there's no one out and about, perfect for a clean getaway. The starry night sky is a rare sight for her because of curfew, but now's not the time for gawking. Lowe might be awake.

When she gets closer to Ann's accessory shop, Elesis notices candlelight from the windowsill. Even a business like hers needs to be active at night for any traveler that may swing by. As time sensitive as this departure is, seeing Ann one more time can't hurt. Upon opening the door, a bell dings above. "Welcome!" Behind the tanned counter, a pink-haired lady is dusting a wooden phoru figurine. She turns around with a smile but gasps at Elesis. "W-what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Her surprise is reasonable, but gasping seems a bit over the top. "Y-yeah, I should, but I wanted to see you before I leave." Elesis bites her lip at that slip of the tongue. "B-before I leave to go home, I mean. Your accessories really brightened my days here, Ann." That also sounds bad. Maybe coming here isn't the best idea after all.

Instead of looking at her suspiciously, Ann gives the redhead a saddened gaze. "You don't have to hide it. Earlier, Lowe told me you might leave Ruben to help your father."

Putting a hand over the hilt of her claymore, Elesis stares into Ann's blue eyes. "Please, don't try stopping me. I don't want to hurt you, too."

"Don't worry, I won't." The shop owner lowers the feather duster and phoru figurine. She unhooks her necklace that has a black stone, easily the size of a nail, and hands it to Elesis. "It's a Dark El necklace. When you feel like you're in a bind, grip the stone as hard as you can."

She nods before wearing it. As the young girl opens the door to leave, the bell above dings once more. "Take care of Elsword for me."

By the time Elesis reaches the western gate of Elder, dawn shines brilliantly over the town. Her eyelids periodically droop, both feet ache with every step, and the backpack won't stop feeling heavier. "Halt!" The loud shout raises Elesis's wavering gaze from the damp grass to four guardsmen, all holding white broadswords and wearing gray suits of armor. She absently stops at his command while he eyes her. "Sorry, miss, but we can't let you get past us." The redhead's heart shatters from hearing those words. "Your family in Ruben must be worried sick, so I'll contact another knight to escort you home." With how sleepy and tired she is, there's no way Elesis can fight through four knights.

A string melody plays from around the corner of this gate. As if caught off guard, all four men draw their swords and turn in the direction of music. The closest man by the source yells, "Who's there!? Show yourself!"

On cue, a white-haired man holding a lute comes out of hiding. He has two black katanas behind his back, and his robes are a mix of white and red. "What happened to the good ol' 'let everyone pass' mentality I've known and loved here?"

They sheath their weapons and bow to him. The guard closest to Elesis says, "Sir Noel, it's an honor to see Velder's master tactician grace us, but even you must know Wally's new laws are for the safety of Elrios." What's a tactician doing all the way here instead of in Velder?

Noel sighs, beckoning the guards to stand up straight with his finger raising. "I'm just a bard now, so there's no need for any 'Sir Noel' and bowing." His dark-green eyes meet Elesis's questioning gaze. "Anyway, isn't it harsh to send the lass off to Ruben without any sleep? I'll do you a favor and book a room at the inn for her. Then, I'll escort the girl myself." Right when the farthest guard from Noel opens his mouth, the bard wags a finger at him. "Don't give me any lip about a 'knight's duty' or whatever. You think I can't take care of her alone, huh?" He unsheathes one of his katanas, pointing at the open-mouthed knight. "Wanna test me right here just to make sure?" The guard furiously shakes his head, and when Noel points at the rest, they also shake their heads. "Good chatting with you, men!" He waves to Elesis. "Come along now, miss. I won't bite." In one step, the redhead feels her whole body ready to drop. This momentary break after a night of hiking is making the girl realize how worn out she is. Elesis's next step tumbles herself to the soft grass, welcoming her to sleep.

When she opens her eyes, a navy-blue ceiling is the first thing in view. Glittering diamonds are scattered across, like stars in the night sky. Elesis feels the soft touch of a mattress underneath, and the tan cotton blanket on top is reminiscent of her own blanket from Ruben. To her left is a square window that's letting in sunrays. The diamonds above seem to be reflecting the light, so they don't shine at night like real stars? What an odd way to design your interior for a bedroom. Then again, it would be more harm than good when trying to sleep if they do shine at night.

A wooden display case stands on the opposite side of the room. Inside it are trophies, medals, and pictures of Noel grouped with several knights. The sun-like golden crest of Velder is on each prize and picture frame. By the foot of the bed is one end of a long bookcase that stretches to the room's other corner next to a tan door. Both shelves are full of books, all having decrepit crimson spines. Is this Noel's bedroom?

Still feeling a little sore everywhere, she pushes the blanket off and straps her red boots on. Instead of heading out, Elesis walks across the marble floor to the window. She has a clear view of a circular plaza and its twenty colorful market stalls. People are bustling to and fro, buying or bargaining. The sun is still eastward, so it's morning. Smelling cooked fish draws Elesis's attention to the bedroom's tan door again. Then, a gurgling roar from her stomach issues the battle cry of hunger. Onward, to food!

The girl hops to the exit and swings it open to a dining room. Noel sits on the far side of an ivory roundtable, staring down at a folded paper next to an empty, stained bowl. Without reading it, she can tell that's Elkashu's letter because of her haphazard folds. Elesis's backpack and claymore are lying on the table next to a bowl of steaming fish soup. He looks up at the teen. "What are you waiting for, Elesis? That food's all for you."

She grabs her sword and unsheathes it. "Why did you bring me to your house and go through my stuff? I bet you're planning to do something to me!" That food probably has some kind of sleeping drug, which will make Elesis the perfect hostage for a ransom exchange at Ruben.

He raises both hands above his head, smiling all the while. "Whoa-ho there! I come in peace, so let me explain." Elesis nods but doesn't lower her weapon. "The plan _was_ to bring you to the inn, but after checking out your dad's letter, I thought about helping you." She tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. "You wanna save your dad, which is likely why you ran from Ruben, and _I_ want his side to end the Velder Civil War, so let's work together." That isn't enough info, so she continues staring him down. "Oh yeah, I brought you here because I'm sure Lowe would come over to Elder's inn to find you. Am I cleared of all charges now?"

That's all possible, but it's not denying the potential hostage situation. "Eat half of my food, but use my spoon to scoop it into your bowl."

Noel laughs uproariously. "Did your old man teach you to be this cautious of strangers?" Shaking his head, the bard shovels Elesis's soup into his bowl using her spoon. "You're gonna wish you didn't give this spicy seafood soup." Like a wild animal, he wolfs the food and loudly slurps.

Once he sets his empty bowl on the table again, she waits for half a minute. Noel looks calm, even with her constant stare. Maybe the food isn't drugged after all. Elesis sheathes her claymore and sits on the ivory chair in front of her bowl. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Noel, and thank you for the food." She gathers a spoonful, making sure to scoop fish meat. There isn't any steam now, but the aroma of garlic and onions is strong. In one bite, Elesis's red eyes light up. The savory taste is unlike anything she's ever eaten at Ruben! Lowe and the other villagers have made fish soup before, but this is much better seasoned. There are several types of fish she never ate here, too. "Yeah, I wish I didn't give you some."

He chuckles and puts Elkashu's letter into her backpack. "If you meet a traveling merchant named Helen, you could eat more. It'll cost you a good favor, though, and that's what I'm about to do for the rest of today."

If Noel takes the whole day to pay back a favor, how will he work together with her? "I thought you were going to help me."

"And I will, so hear me out." She nods and then continues eating her breakfast. "Today, Elder is hosting their monthly Grand Market, so peddlers from all over Elrios will try selling their goods in the plaza, but as they came into town yesterday, merchants had to get their stuff inspected by Wally's knights first. It's a normal safety procedure. At dawn, the same knights set up market stalls with the goods, but ever since the Velder Civil War started, two peddlers always have destroyed stalls and missing stock. The knights guarding the market were always found unconscious, and sometimes later in the day, never seen from again." Noel sighs deeply before continuing. "Helen wants me and her assistant to find the one responsible, but I'll let you have the credit. Merchants will spread your name around, and you'll be recognized as their savior on the way to Velder. They might do you a few favors because of that recognition, you know."

Credit should be given to those that deserve it. Elesis finishes the breakfast and straps her backpack on. "I'll find whoever's the culprit, so just sit tight." It's the least she can do for all of Noel's hospitality.

"Hold your horses, lass." He stands up with a wagging finger. "If this gives the sellers a run for their money, what makes it a cinch to work out?"

The redhead shrugs and smiles. "Who knows until I try?"

A feminine voice from behind Noel's bedroom door says, "Because Helen tried before and failed." The redhead turns around to see it open, revealing a ginger-haired slender woman. She flashes a grin and says, "My name's Luichel, but don't worry. I'm only here to steal the truth." Is she normally a burglar?

"Oh, so _you're_ my assistant that Helen mentioned." Noel ruffles Elesis's hair and points to Luichel. "Normally, we'd report the infamous thief to the knights, but since we're about to interrogate them as potential suspects, we have to get our hands dirty this time." This is all coming together so quickly for her to process, so Elesis looks back and forth between the bard and Luichel. An infamous thief that'll do justice? The knights could be thieves? What are they going to do to get their hands dirty? He clears his throat, turning away. "We'll interrogate the market knights, and if we need Luichel's help, I'll swing by here. Stick with me, Elesis, and you'll understand the mind of a master tactician." As the little girl follows the _retired_ master tactician, she can't help but feel dragged along. There must be _something_ she can do to help.

Outside Noel's house, the ivory streets are mostly empty but not at the plaza below. Elder is like a bowl where each level has a circular street that's smaller in size as the elevation dips to the bottom, where the plaza is. There's a set of stairs per cardinal direction for every street, and from here, the northern stairs are nearby. Houses of ivory and yellow line the roads, but the elevation differences make it easy for anyone to hop down and climb back up from the lower crimson rooftops. Only one house has an emerald roof, the one right below here. By comparison, Noel's house is at the highest street, which is also where the western gate can be seen from. "Is it ok if I help, too? I wanna feel like I'm contributing," Elesis says.

"Why not? In the past, all the unconscious knights have been found unhurt with raspy voices, so what do you think knocked them out?" If there's no external cause, an internal one must be responsible.

"They were drugged. Someone laced their food with stuff to knock them out, so the first thing we should ask is who last gave them something to eat." She puts both hands on her hips. "Pretty good, huh?"

He gives two thumbs up. "I knew you could figure it out, kiddo!" Noel makes it sound like he already knew that, so why didn't he share the info before? "I'll let _you_ handle the interrogation if you want."

This is her chance at really helping, so of course she'll handle it. "Show me the knights who were on duty, and I'll get started right away!"

Down to the plaza, colorful market stalls create a small maze of shops for the investigators to walk through. Groups of buyers in front of every stall are shoulder to shoulder, so even if Elesis wants to check out a shop or two, she can't. Eventually, Noel and Elesis reach the slumped pair of knights by a trash can. They're not still unconscious, thankfully, but their frowns make them seem gloomy. "Hey, you jolly bunch, my assistant here would like to ask some questions about last night."

They both look up with teary eyes at Noel and then to Elesis. The closest knight has a raspy voice while he says, "W-we said our part to the other peddlers. Please, no more…"

With a bittersweet smile, Elesis kneels to their eye level. "Don't worry. We're not about to make your day worse, so hang in there." They nod and wipe their tears. "Was there any food that people gave you to eat or drink before you lost unconsciousness?"

The farthest knight reaches into the trash and pulls out a crunched blue can. "This tangy soda was given to both of us last night by our captain." His voice is a bit raspy, too.

Before she could take it, Noel grabs the drink. "I know this soda anywhere. The town's alchemist, Echo, makes this stuff." He gives the can's opening a sniff but jerks away. "Whoa, this is much stronger than I remember! You two really drank this?"

The closest one blurts, "We had no choice. The captain made us toast to each other, wishing us good luck in keeping the Grand Market safe, but we fainted not long after the toast." He sinks his head. "This morning, he ordered us to go in the Shadow Forest and gather a hundred tangy magic beads as punishment after the merchants pack up."

Elesis asks, "What are tangy magic beads?"

"Alchemist ingredients." After taking out a plastic bag from his pocket, Noel stuffs the crunched soda can into it. "Echo uses them for a few drinks, tangy soda included. If I remember correctly, too many of those tangy magic beads will make the drink incapacitate someone and cause inflammation of the vocal cords." That inflammation must be why they have raspy voices.

She stands up to whisper in his ear. "So, you think Echo's our culprit?"

He shakes his head, whispering back, "That's too easy for someone like Helen to miss. I think it's time we split up here, so I'll have a chat with their captain while you follow these guys to the Shadow Forest and see if anything fishy happens." In his normal volume, he says, "I'm gonna speak to Echo while my assistant has fun with the Grand Market. Hope you two keep everyone safe, you hear?" Is he saying that to not throw suspicion on their captain in front of them? The knights salute to Noel before he leaves.

It isn't until noon that the Grand Market finally closes, and that's when the interrogated knights begin treading south. Moving from corner to corner, Elesis keeps a safe distance behind them until they reach the southern gate. There isn't a single guard stationed here, unlike the western gate having four.

A thicket of trees close any direction for the dirt road to travel besides south. The deeper into the forest they continue, the more gray branches cloud the sky. Very few rays of light shine down when they reach a glittering, sloped river. The water rushes eastward and down the steep decline. A young, masculine voice shouts, "Hey, losers!" It's coming from the eastern side of the river where Elesis can't see because of the trees. Unless she wants to be discovered, there's no way for her to check who that mystery person is.

The two knights turn to the voice's direction with furrowed eyebrows and grit teeth. One of them shouts, "That's the stolen food and medicine! Why does a brat like you have them!?"

"You see, Wally's got some plans that need a lot of ED. Selling these to the winning side of Velder's Civil War is where that kind of money comes from." This guy's the culprit, so is now a good time to come out of hiding? He might have cronies to back him up, though. "Energy boom!" A purple sphere of light races up the river and flings the two knights out of sight. Leaving now to get Noel's advice feels safer than trying to fight someone capable of that attack, but just as Elesis turns to leave, she hears that voice again. "I know you're hiding out there, so why not save me the hassle of walking to you?" How in the world does he know? "Oh-ho, thanks for coming out to play." Someone else is there, too?

Luichel's voice rings loud and clear. "You're welcome, but don't think lightly of me just because I'm a woman." Why is she here instead of inside Noel's house?

As if to add more confusion, Elesis hears the bard say, "Never thought a kid would be responsible." He's here, too?

There's no time like the present to confront the culprit, so she runs into the river, claymore at the ready. Elesis sees a white-haired boy launch purple spheres of light from his feet with every kick. Noel and Luichel manage to sidestep around each one, but the river's incline is making their trip to the kid and the boxes of stolen goods difficult. Loud splashes from the girl's running give away her position in a snap. He turns to kick a purple sphere at Elesis, but a red aura envelops her body as she charges through the impact and swings. "Mega Slash!"

He jumps back, flying into the air as thin purple sheets of metal gather under his feet. The boy sneers at her. "I never expected you to be such a nuisance, but that's all the more interesting. I'll let you keep these goods and see what happens next." In a flash, he zooms eastward to the horizon.

Noel sheathes his katanas, and Luichel does the same with her daggers. Walking out of the river, Elesis says, "I thought _I_ was supposed follow the knights, so what happened with you guys?"

Luichel rushes to the four boxes of goods while Noel ruffles Elesis's red hair. "That was the plan, but I finished sooner than I thought, so we came to help. I managed to record everything that happened with a nasod camera, too. This kind of evidence will be enough for Hoffman." Again, the little girl feels like she's dragged along. Elesis throws a punch at Noel's stomach, pushing him back a little. "Ouch! Ok, I should've told you what I planned to do after I finished early, so I'm sorry."

She stomps on the damp soil, which splashes mud over her other boot. "That's not it! You keep dragging me around your successes without letting me pull my own weight. Just because I'm young, that doesn't mean I'm worthless!" It's true that she scared the culprit away, but they were bound to catch up with him. Following those knights didn't mean anything because Noel and Luichel also followed. The interrogation's first question was guided based on his confirmation, like he knew what to ask already and was fine with Elesis being his voice for the same thing. "Keep the credit for yourself. I'm heading to Bethma, and I don't care if you stay behind to savor your glory." If the knight captain is conspiring with that flying boy, Elder's knights aren't to be trusted in helping the losing side of Velder's Civil War. Maybe the reason not all market knights go missing later in the day is because they were in on the plan from the start. The ones who go missing must be expendable.

As soon as she brushes past him, gut-punching pain causes her to kneel forward. The technique of Iron Body is like an adrenaline rush, blinding the user of any wounds, but the cost is feeling it all at once later. "Sorry, lass, but you're in no condition to be traveling." Elesis feels a hand pull her right shoulder back while another pushes an ankle. Before falling to the ground, she finds herself in the arms of Noel as he lifts her up. "You can punch me all you want when you're feeling better, ok?"


	9. Chapter 9: Blind Faith

Chapter 9: Blind Faith

Ciel stabs the grass with his gunblade. "What do you mean, 'you don't believe me!?'" In front of him are a handful of Night Savers, a teary-eyed Lua, and Lime, an elf who protects the forests of Ruben. They're all standing near a wall of dense fog. "I've done plenty of contract killings for you _and_ the Night Savers, so why can't you trust my word?"

Lime wipes the fake tears from Lua's face. "She's worked together with us far longer than you've been alive, Ciel. I can't disregard that unless you have evidence of her torturing Rena. Besides, that elf has been known to overwork spirits to death, so we can't look away."

He pulls his weapon out of the ground and sheathes it. "Fine, I'll remember to bring evidence next time. Just you all wait. Lime, could you escort me to Elder from here?" The clear night sky is riddled with stars, so Ciel bets the rest of S.S. has been waiting for him. "I'm overdue for joining up with the folk you told me about. You know, the ones who protected Ruben's El Stone from that wolf demon?"

The green-haired elf brings herself away from Lua and extends a hand to Ciel. "Just don't let go while I guide you, ok?" When he takes her hand, the hitman feels a tight grip around his own. "Let's talk more on the way."

Inside the fog, Ciel can hardly see Lime as she leads him through the White Mist Swamp. "Are you angry because of what I've said?"

"Yes, but it's more complex than that. If you're right about Lua, I won't be able to trust the Night Savers anymore, so I'd have to depend on myself and you. If you're wrong—"

"I'm not wrong. You see, this is why you elves need to stop hiding from the public outside of your jobs. All of you would know we're not so different from each other. Our customs and traditions contrast, but deep down, we're still people. Just like people, elves can lie and betray."

Her grip softens as she lets out a deep sigh. "I _want_ to believe you, but that's a hard pill to swallow."

Splish-splash noises come from their feet as they walk through a shallow pond. "Hey, it's not all bad. It may not be the 'utopian society' you've fooled yourself to believe in, but there are good people in the world." Maybe there's a way Lime can meet them to learn for herself? "Oh, how about you sign up for the arena by asking Camilla from Cobo Service? You'll get stronger, so you can depend on yourself more, _and_ you'll be able to understand people by talking with them after a match."

"That's... a strange way to understand humans, but it would be good training." She releases her grip on his hand. "Keep going straight for a while, and you'll be with them. I have to arrange a funeral for the ancient phoru."

He reaches in his pocket for a phoru cookie and holds it in front of him, hoping she can tell it's there. "Think of this as an offering over its burial. I wish I could go with you, but work is more important." Ciel feels a slight tug on the dessert, so he lets go.

"A phoru cookie? Heehee, I'm sure it'll appreciate your cute design." Her footsteps move to the right and behind him while he treads forward.

After five minutes of walking, the fog dissipates, and the white castle gate of Elder is ahead. Rose and Zero are a few feet behind Ain, who's staring at Ciel. There's a stiffness in the air, so the hitman waves at them while approaching. "Sorry for the wait!" He outstretches a hand to Ain and smiles. "My name's Ciel—though, you probably know that. Nice to see you on your feet, Ain."

The previously wounded man glances down at the gesture before speaking. "Thank you for treating my injury, but don't bother trying to shake my hand. It's a worthless custom."

He's an oddball. Maybe the place Ain's from is touchy about it, but that's not going to stop Ciel from explaining how worthwhile the custom is. "Oh really? Did you know that handshakes produce oxytocin, a hormone that alleviates stress? It calms the hesitant feelings people may have during introductions with new people or agreements that people make with each other." Ciel grabs Ain's right hand and vigorously shakes it despite the narrow-eyed stare from him. "Why not try shaking hands with Rose as practice?"

As if enlightened, he widely opens his green eyes. "That's a good idea!"

Rose backs away from the approaching Ain, whose right hand is offered for a handshake. "A-anyway, where do we go from here without nobody seeing us?" Ciel thinks about how similar the situation here is with the elves. Zero mentioned how Rose and Ain don't want to be in public because their abilities may seem alien-like.

At the time, he was too busy with Ain's wounds and catching up to Rena before yelling out his frustrations, but now is different. Even describing S.S. to Aisha was irritating because he doesn't want them to be secretive. "All of you, swear to be open with other people, or else I'm leaving!" They stop to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. "It doesn't matter what clothes you wear, what powers you may have, or even what customs you believe are worth doing because we're _all_ people, including the person controlling Zero." Ciel unsheathes one of his gun blades and draws a line in the dirt. "If you continue to separate yourselves from the outside world, there will _always_ be a boundary of knowledge, trust, and allies." He walks past the drawn line. "It's only when you cross this boundary that you _understand_ one another, feel _safe_ together, and have _people_ work alongside each other."

A long silence passes until Rose speaks. "I swear I will be open with other people, Ciel."

Zero flies by her face, shouting, "Hey, what about my input on this!? Don't go making executive decisions for us!"

"Got any bright ideas on how we get the El Stone back, sir?" The woman smirks at him muttering frantically.

"F-fine, I swear to be open with others."

Ain shrugs with a frown on his face. "I swear, but let's not join our group with the El Search Party. We'll be able to do more when separated like this."

Ciel nods, pulling out the yellow communication device from Rose. "That's right, so let's not forget about these." The hitman sheathes his gun blade and walks past her, who closely tags along. "I'll bring you all to a guest house that Hoffman arranged for me." When they pass through the western gate, Ciel goes left. There are only a few adults walking along the street, so it's mostly spacious. However, they give Zero some weird looks. "Speaking of, the house belonged to a master tactician, but he decided to move after the Velder Civil War came to an end three years ago."

She whispers, "Could we talk privately when you have the chance?"

"I was about to ask the same thing." Even though the flying contraption is controlled by a person, it's not plain to see, so having Zero around may seem conspicuous.

Inside the guest house, two white sofas face each other with a rectangular matching-colored table in between. There's a tan door to the right of a staircase that leads up. "Ain, next to the stairs is a bedroom for you. I'll show Rose the way to her room."

After climbing the stairs to reach the kitchen, Ciel and Rose take a seat across from each other at an ivory roundtable. Zero hovers next to her shoulder. "You can start first," she says while glaring at the stairs. Is he eavesdropping?

"It's pretty late, Ain. Why not check out your room before sleeping?" Footsteps recede from there, and the click of a door closing follows. "Not to be rude, Zero, but your machine looks like a nasod. Think you could hide somewhere, like in a backpack while Rose carries it?"

The robot's eyes roll to the side. "What, now I'm reduced to cargo because of how I look? Excuse me for not picking a better design."

"Yeah, why do people not like nasods? Do only criminals use them? I fought Wally's nasod, and there was a bandit on top of it, who killed the ancient phoru."

The hitman's fists clench. Wally is involved in Ruben's El Stone robbing _and_ killing the ancient phoru, too? "Can you tell me all you know about that nasod?"

"Answer my question first please."

Ciel's hands relax as he remembers her question. Rose and Zero must be uneducated or have lived far apart from society to not understand. "Over five centuries ago, the Nasod War happened. People and nasods fought over the El Stones as a resource, which diminished as more nasods operated. We managed to win, but our history books will always tell the ugly past of trusting autonomous machines to coexist with people. That's why the mere sight of anything resembling a nasod can be worrisome."

The woman stares down at the table, like she's trying to find another way for Zero to be out in the open. "Do you think everyone would appreciate nasods more if they used a different power source, like Zero does?" It would certainly take a while for people to adapt, but Ciel believes that can work. "Oh, I forgot to answer your question first. Sorry."

As much as Ciel wants to know about Wally's nasod for revenge, it would be prudent to discuss this with the El Search Party once they arrive. He can't let himself be swallowed by vengeance, especially after what Rena said. "Think about why Wolvernian took you in. He's a hitman, but did he ever leave you for his job? I can't imagine he could and still raise you so well." Verni isn't selfish if he valued raising Ciel over his job.

"On second thought, don't tell me. When the El Search Party arrives in Elder, you can talk about it with everyone. I'll find you a backpack tomorrow for Zero, so good night. I'll be sleeping on a sofa downstairs if you need me."

Rose jerks Ciel's hand down to the table as he stands up. "Wait, there's something I need to tell you." She quickly lets go. "I-I'm sorry. You don't need to get a backpack since Zero can transform into guns I can carry instead, but that's not the something I meant. Ain knows I absorbed Dark El, and he's been trying to get rid of it, but I want to keep this power, or else I'll be useless against demons." That's a lot to process all at once, even for him, but it does explain why she didn't want to shake Ain's hand. "Could you make sure he doesn't get to my bedroom while I sleep?"

It definitely isn't normal for someone to keep Dark El within themselves, but he's not sure how it'll affect her or why she's worrying so much about demons. For now, there's no use fretting over something that isn't a problem. "Sure, I'll keep an eye out for you."

Two hours pass on the sofa, and Ciel is on the verge of sleep until a subtle click of Ain's bedroom door catches his attention. Peeking out of one eye, the hitman spies the door nudging itself open enough for someone to come out. No one does though.

Two more hours pass, so Ciel drifts closer to sleep as he watches the door, but the rub noises of crawling on the carpet alert him. "Ain, why do you want to get rid of Rose's Dark El?"

The sneaky man stands up and chuckles. "What do you mean, 'get rid of Rose's Dark El?' I was going to get a midnight snack from upstairs."

"By _crawling_ up there?"

It's almost pitch black, so only the moonlight from windows show the mischievous grin on Ain's face. "Of course! I didn't want you waking up after all the hospitality you've given me."

"Just _me_ not waking up? How about I bring some phoru cookies to you instead?"

Retreating to the bedroom, Ain waves his suggestion away. "No thanks, I just lost my appetite, so maybe another time."

Two hours later, Ciel hears footsteps as dawn peers through the windows. Frustrated at how stubborn Ain is, how many times he's lying, and how little sleep they're both getting, the hitman stands up and shouts, "Tell me why you want to get rid of her Dark El now!" He steps closer to Ain, who's snoring while slowly walking back into his room. "You're not fooling anyone with fake sleep walking, so give it up already!" There isn't even a reaction to him as Ain flops over the bed, so Ciel returns to the sofa, not wanting to get physical with his accusation. He silently wishes to never have another night like this happen again.

Another two hours pass, but instead of Ain getting his attention, the brightness of morning stands out. Eight whole hours have gone by since he talked with Rose. With a yawn, Ciel drags his feet up the stairs. He pulls out a mug of old coffee and phoru cookies from the fridge before sitting down at the ivory roundtable. Stretching both arms, Rose walks out of her bedroom with a smile. "Good morning, Ciel! How are you doing?"

"Tired, sleep deprived, and irritated." He munches on the cold, tough cookies and sips his bitter drink. If he can't even muster the energy to brew a new batch of coffee and cook breakfast, how is anyone as exhausted as him going to deal with Hoffman's task? "Sorry, but I don't think Ain or I will be able to do much today. You and Zero will have to do the heavy lifting."

The robot's voice comes out of her robe. "You call yourself a hitman, and you can't even handle _one_ all-nighter? Pathetic!"

She pulls out a brown pistol and shouts down at it. "He deserves some respect, sir! Just because you're ok with one doesn't mean _everyone_ is."

Ciel stirs his drink with a cookie. "Let it go. I deserved that, especially if another teammate just pulled an all-nighter to protect you. Isn't that right, Zero? How else would you know I stayed up?"

Rose's narrowed eyebrows relax as she grins. "Wow, Zero, never thought you cared about me _that_ much."

"I-I only did that because we can't afford to make any mistakes, but since we're on the topic, how about we take guard shifts next time, Ciel?"

Yawning, he leans back in his ivory chair. "That would be great." Thumping feet climb the stairs as Ain's head comes into view. His swaying walk and droopy eyelids are a welcome sight. "Good morning, Ain! Ready to help us earn Hoffman's trust? The El Search Party _really_ needs that to happen before they get here."

The other sleep-deprived man mutters, "Ready when you are…" and yawns.

Outside, Ciel leads them down the northern stairs of Elder. Crowds of people are rushing to the Grand Market further below. Rose asks, "Is any security down there? I don't see anyone with weapons."

Unfortunately, it's a normal occurrence for Ciel. "Three years ago, knights protected this town, but a young girl named Elesis showed how corrupt they were. The townspeople revolted, and now, those knights are staying in Wally's castle. Soon, Velder will finish their city repairs and send help." At least, that's what he hopes. It's already been three years since the Velder Civil War ended, so what's the hold up? He couldn't even travel through Velder on his way from Lanox to Elder. They stop in front of a house with the only green roof, directly below the guest house. A nearly bald man and a girl with messy white hair are leaning against the front door. "Morning, Hoffman. This is the rest of S.S. with me." Ciel yawns at his teammates and then says, "Her name's Rose, and this is Ain."

With his dark-blue eyes, Hoffman sizes them up. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Ciel?" The merchant guild leader gestures to the girl next to him. "I'm entrusting the safety of Echo to all of you while she investigates the Shadow Forest, but just one person in front of me looks awake. I've heard of monster sightings over there, too."

"I'm more than enough to protect her," Rose says. She kneels and smiles at the white-haired girl. "Today's just not their day, so don't worry about them."

Echo stares into Rose's light-blue eyes. "Ok, I trust you. My assistants have been saying trees move whenever they search for tangy magic beads, so I wanted to see if they're just pulling a prank. We should be done in a snap if they were."

Once S.S. and Echo walk through the southern gate, ash-colored trees block off the grassy road from going anywhere but south. Their overhead branches offer more shade the farther they travel until there's no more sunlight. Then, a radiant glow from a river illuminates the mud around. Ciel dreads the clean-up he'll be doing on his boots later, but at least nothing seems wrong here. "Wisps are in this forest," Ain says. Eyebrows raised, the rest of the group turns to him. "They are demons who can manipulate the Ent." How does Ain know this? Ciel never learned anything like that from Verni. Then again, homeschooling isn't very reliable when the teacher leaves. "We should retreat. They're closing in on our location!"

They have a job to do here, so returning to Elder isn't an option. Wood creaking grows louder by the second while Ain backs away from the river. Echo yells, "Oh my gosh, they really _are_ moving!" Across the glowing water, the hitman sees a horde of gray, humanoid-looking trees stampeding closer. The biggest of them all seems to be five times Ciel's height, and it's running so quickly that it'll probably reach S.S. in less than a minute. "D-do something you guys!"

The machine attached to the back of Rose's waist fumes something red-orange downward as her body rises into the air. "I'll wipe them out in a flash." The two men gaze at the innumerous black chain blades appearing in Rose's hands. She zooms above the tallest Ent and swings her weapons below. "Destroyer's Chain!" Like a hot knife through butter, the ebony blades cleave the ashy-colored bark. Any remaining wood splits apart into chunks before getting diced by another onslaught. The smaller Ents gather like moths to a flame under the shredding darkness Rose commands until everything wooden is reduced to splinters.

Ciel hears Echo step backwards as Rose turns to face them, and before he could look, the little girl runs north while screaming in fear. If Zero didn't warn him about their unusual abilities, Ciel thinks he'd also be running after seeing that kind of power. He definitely has some explaining to do for Hoffman.

Shoulders dipped, Rose flies down by Ciel and Ain. "D-did I scare Echo away?"

He can't deny that, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem. They did protect Echo just like Hoffman asked, and he's sure the alchemist will find her way to Elder alone. "I suppose you guarded her _too_ well, haha." Ciel smiles at her worried face and says, "I'll explain what happened with Echo to Hoffman, so don't worry about it."

"R-really?"

"Yes, really, and if the El Search Party still isn't here…" The hitman cups the back of his head and lies down on the grass. "We'll have a nice, _long_ nap."

Ain mimics the same gesture next to Ciel. "I hope they take their time, so we can stop yawning."


	10. Chapter 10: Night Watcher

Chapter 10: Night Watcher

Feeling a hand nudge her shoulder, Rena stirs from sleep. Her back aches even with soft grass underneath. The first thing she sees is Aisha's head blocking most of the orange sunset. That bitter smell of burnt forestry is still present, but it's faint at least. Is it time for the next guard shift now? The purple-haired girl looks to the side and murmurs, "He woke up, so I told him and S.S. what happened, including that talk we had over Lua." She backs away while the elf gets on her feet. The fires have been extinguished, so only a path of shriveled black tree trunks and stone is left between the remaining flora.

From a water fountain to the north, Elsword walks to her with a smile on his face. "Looks like I owe you again for saving me, but I'll pay you back when we see Lua." He pumps his arms in the air. "I don't care if the Night Savers hate you, and you know why?" The redhead gives a thumbs up. "Because the Rena in front of me can't be the same person." She knows Elsword isn't very smart, but surely, he doesn't mean there's another elf impersonating her, right? He puts a hand on his chest and looks down. "There's no way I can believe someone evil would heal a dying weakling, like me." Looking up at her again, Elsword grins. "That's why I know you must've changed from how you were in the past." Rena's green eyes widen at that remark. "Those Night Savers don't realize the new you, so Aisha, Secret Service, and I have decided to fight them if they stir up trouble." Offering a handshake, the young lad says, "Promise you won't hurt yourself, ok?"

She moves in for a hug instead, smothering his face with her chest. "I promise, especially now that I know all of you are here for me." After letting go, Rena can see his face being red as a beet, and Aisha is glaring at him with both hands on her hips. This is more awkward than the elf thought at first, so they really should get moving. "Could you lead us to Elder? I think S.S. earned our trust with Hoffman by now."

"R-right, just follow me." Crunching half-burned twigs under his boots, Elsword marches through the charred path. The gate of Elder's ivory castle wall can be seen above the treetops, so they must be close.

When Rena pulls out her yellow communication device, Aisha puts a hand over it. "Wait a moment. Rose told me everyone else planned to sleep for a while, and they're probably still napping." It's too bad thanking S.S. will have to wait, but now is a good opportunity to confront her at least.

The elf squeezes Aisha's hand. "I hope you're not hiding anything. Jeopardizing a team's safety isn't something I can overlook, you know."

No matter how much pulling away she does, Rena's hand doesn't budge. "W-why would I ever hide anything?" Her purple eyes dart away, only stealing glances occasionally.

"Isn't it strange how quickly you brought Lowe and Hagus down those tall stairs as soon as the fight was over? Elves have better vision than humans in the dark, so you can bet I saw you that night."

Aisha's pulling stops. "I'm so sorry."

"You're just as bad as those cadets, and you think an apology's going to let it slide!?" Her left hand tries to pry the other hand free, but the elf simply lets go. Clutching her right hand close, Aisha backs away. "Let that be a warning for now."

Crunch noises from the scorched path draw their gazes to Elsword. "Hey, you two! What's the hold up?"

"Sorry, Aisha was just apologizing to me for being rude to you, and I told her that she oughta tell you instead." Smiling at her, Rena asks, "Shall we get moving?"

Aisha nods furiously, still trying to conceal her secret from him. The redhead shrugs before facing the blackened forestry. "Through here, it's a straight shot to Elder, so let's go already." The ashy scent is hard to ignore as the two ladies follow Elsword. Deeper and deeper into the flora they walk, crunching pieces of crispy twigs or leaves underfoot. Rena looks over her shoulder at Aisha. She's following at a farther distance behind, and her stare darts to the side as soon as they make eye contact. The boy whispers, "How come Aisha looks like she's scared of you?"

"I, um, don't know what you mean," Rena whispers back.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on between you two, but we'd be a stronger team if everyone got along. That's what Lowe told me before I caught up to you at Ruben's entrance, and I agree."

"I'll try to patch things up." Making a point is one thing, but threatening is another.

The trio emerge from the forest to see the looming gate of Elder. A wall of dense fog is across from that, and there's a set of large phoru footprints in the dirt leading north. Once he turns around the gate's corner, Elsword bumps into a ginger-haired woman and says, "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Rena and Aisha move around him to see the slender lady holding a basket of jewelry. "Oh, it's alright. I should've been watching my step. Have you folks come for the Grand Market? It just ended, but I've still got some trinkets to sell if you want." In that woven basket, each ring, necklace, earring, armband, and headgear are made of gold and have a blue embedded jewel. "They're called the Golden Days set, rare to most but common to skilled treasure hunters. Did one of them catch your eye?"

Elsword steps in between Rena's line of sight and the jewelry. Glaring at the elf, he says, "Nope, not at all. We need to see Hoffman, right?" No matter how much head maneuvering she does, Elsword blocks her view of the sparkling jewelry. "Rena…"

"Rena? Are you all part of the El Search Party?" The merchant gives them a once-over. "Hoffman told me to expect a couple youngsters with Rena, but I didn't think to find children."

Elsword and Aisha look like they're about to erupt from clenching their fists, so Rena ruffles their hair. "Easy now. They're a bit touchy when you call them kids, but I'm guessing Hoffman sent you here to look out for us? We _are_ running late, so I'm sorry to worry everyone." Patting the redhead's shoulder, she says, "This one is Elsword, and the other one is Aisha."

"My name's Luichel. I'd love to give you a tour of the place, but I gotta bring you all to Hoffman." A long shadow from the western castle wall overtakes Elder, but the white glow of lampposts brightens the intersections between stairs and the white streets. For some reason, the lampposts in the middle of streets don't turn on. The El Search Party and Luichel pass by a crowd holding plastic bags stuffed with goods. Following the ginger-haired woman down the nearby stairs, Rena sees people by the center of town packing things into boxes. One by one, many of the citizens return to their houses, and there's always a candle someone lights on their windowsill.

The elf looks over her shoulder. "Aisha, do you wanna go shopping together at the next Grand Market? You know, just for fun?"

Looking away, she says, "I didn't bring a lot of ED with me."

"Hey, don't sweat it!" Luichel shouts. "After helping us with Wally, I'm sure Hoffman and I can work some discounts and freebies for you."

"Well, Aisha? How about it?"

Finally, the purple-haired girl looks her in the eye. "S-sure."

Luichel stops in front of a house with a green roof, and after opening the door, she pops her head inside. "They're here! Don't be too judgmental, Lenphad!" Turning back to the El Search Party, she bows her head. "Gotta run, but I'll see you again soon." With that, Luichel heads up the northern stairs and out of sight.

Elsword groans as he puts a hand over the doorknob. "I'm betting this Lenphad person isn't fond of 'children,' so let's get this over with quickly, everyone."

Inside, an ivory sofa big enough to fit the trio stands opposite from a similar couch with two men seated there. One is very muscular and has short dark-brown hair along with an upside down 'U' shaped mustache. The older man is nearly bald and doesn't look very fit at all.

Behind them, a circle of framed pictures hangs on the tan wall. The top photo has someone who looks similar to the bald man but is lean and has more black hair. He's standing with a white-haired lady holding a baby. The rightmost picture has a little white-haired girl and that same man kneeling to her eye level, but his muscle mass is lacking. In the bottom photo, he's putting on more weight as he shakes hands with the muscular guy from this room. Behind them is an anvil with the words, "Swordsmith Cats," engraved on the side. The leftmost picture has the older guy from the couch, Luichel, and a white-haired man, armed with two katanas. They're sharing drinks in front of a few colorful market stalls, crowded with customers. Between these four pictures are landscaping photos of Elder. At the very center is a framed certificate that reads, "Head of the Velder Commerce Association, Hoffman."

Once Elsword, Aisha, and Rena sit down, the oldest guy opens his mouth, but the other man yells, "Is this some kinda joke!? After hearing how scared off Echo was by someone in Secret Service, I thought the El Search Party would be a monstrous bunch of mercenaries!" Crossing his arms, he turns to the interrupted sir. "Hoffman, you sure we oughta trust a couple of kids and this elf chick?"

Calling Elsword and Aisha unreliable because of their youth is understandable at first, but what's his problem with an 'elf chick'? Does he not trust women or elves to do the job, or does she look too young for her race? Rena bites her lower lip, restraining the urge to yell. Is this how they feel when people call them kids?

"Now, now, Lenphad. Don't forget the young 'un who saved the Grand Market from Wally's knights. Even you were shocked when you saw Noel's footage, right?" Only a mumbled grunt replies. "Sorry if any of you were irritated just now, but Echo is very loved among the citizens of Elder, and not everyone appreciates how S.S. handled working with her."

Ciel is too nice to be scary, so did Ain, Zero, or Rose terrify Echo? "Mr. Hoffman," Rena says. "I'm sorry on their behalf, and I'll be sure to speak to them about this later. For now, what's the next course of action for getting the El Stone from Wally?"

Hoffman's black eyebrows furrow. "Before I get to that, I'd like you to know I'm one of those people who wasn't fond of seeing Echo terrified. Secret Service only bought you _half_ the trust I'm willing to give since they _did_ keep her safe but _couldn't_ allow her to fully investigate the Shadow Forest. Once you three complete this next task, I'll consider helping."

Letting out a sigh, the redhead lies back against the sofa. "So much for their help."

"Hagus mentioned how Banthus stole the El Stone, so I want that bandit arrested." Hoffman clears his throat before continuing. "However, if circumstances don't allow you to bring him alive, that's ok. Obviously, it's better to keep your safety than risk it for the bandit's jail time." He gives a pair of handcuffs and a key to Rena. "Luichel found Banthus's hideout in a cave just past the northern gate. So, are there any questions?"

Aisha raises her hand. "When is the next Grand Market going to happen?"

The two men laugh before Lenphad says, "Better luck next month, squirt. We don't have them too often, or else merchants, like Helen, would hate us for all their backtracking."

Elsword is the first to stand up and get moving. "We'll earn your trust, so just you wait." Rena and Aisha hurry to catch up with him, already climbing the northern stairs outside. Once they get back together, he yells, "What a couple of stingy dudes! It's like I was being lectured by two Haguses, and one is already too much. Grr, I really wanna punch 'em!"

"You're better off using that rage against Banthus and his goons," Aisha says. "Then, we'll really show them up." He nods before marching up, side by side with her. Even if these two don't like each other yet, Rena can't help but smile at them agreeing on a common goal.

Bits of orange trail off the horizon as sunset ends. A chilling breeze sweeps clouds of sand into the air, issuing the occasional cough from the El Search Party. The coarse, barren road past Elder's northern entrance leads to a set of stairs going down. At the bottom is a gate with vertical metal bars, and a putrid stench invades Rena's nose upon approaching. "Ugh, what is that smell? Is this a sewer system for Elder?"

Aisha pinches her own nose. "It stinks like one, but I don't think we have to go inside." She points to a gray cavern above the gate.

Pinching his nose as well, Elsword unsheathes his weapon. "They wouldn't have made a hideout so close to town without high security, so be careful." He and Aisha step around the right while Rena nudges by the left. When they're on either side of the cave's entrance, he whispers, "It's hard to see. I doubt this is the hideout, so do we walk farther to find more caves?"

"No, it's definitely the hideout." Rena beckons them closer. "I can see the inside clearly, so hold my hands while I lead the way." At the end of the cavern, Banthus sits on a rocky throne, equipped with a metallic lever. Behind his throne are chests filled with golden coins, jewelry, and ore. Pitfalls full of wooden spikes occupy half the walking space in a pattern of alternating left and right sides in the linear room. Not too far from Banthus, rocks are suspended by a pinned tarp close to the ceiling. Several bandits lie flat on their stomachs near the gray edges of cliffs along the side. Some of the edges have a rocky pillar with a rope ladder tied to it, but trying to climb while bandits are there is a death wish. Every person inside is eyeing the entrance, spotting the El Search Party but not making a move. This can't be how their hideout is normally because the darkness is negatively affecting them of doing anything else, so did someone tip off the bandits about intruders coming?

Elsword squints his red eyes at the darkness. "It's almost pitch black, though. Why not use your arrows for light?"

Aisha shakes her head as she moves to Rena's side. "We'd be falling into their trap because a light source would reveal our location, but since they probably can't see very well in the dark, we have the advantage with her sight." When reaching for Rena's left hand, she pauses and then looks at the elf's smiling face. "If we take this one step at a time, I'm sure we'll be ok." Aisha takes her hand as Elsword holds onto the elf's other hand.

Rena whispers, "Listen carefully, you two. There are pitfalls, a rock dropping trap, and bandits stationed on cliffs. I'll guide you to the safest place, closest to Banthus, and shoot the guys above. You'll be able to see everything with my arrows, so Aisha, spread fire to the tarp by the ceiling. Elsword, run as fast as you can to Banthus after the rocks fall. We'll help you fight once we make sure the rest of the bandits are cleared."

The young 'uns nod before walking in tandem with her. After several zigzags around pitfalls, Rena sees the bandits looking at random places now that the faint light from outside doesn't reach the trio. Even Banthus's blue eye is scanning left and right. A large, wooden plank is across the rough floor, and it looks like something else is underneath. Perhaps it's a pressure plate for the rock trap?

This seems like the best place to stop, so Rena lets go of their hands, and they release their grip on hers. Three green orbs of Earth El manifest and encircle the elf as she points her bow up. "Guided Arrow!" Five radiant arrows seek out the bandits on the cliffs, piercing through many of them while others jump off.

Aisha points a finger skyward and yells, "Meteor Call!" A deafening impact soon follows, and with it, the ceiling above the tarp plummets! Flaming rocks mix with the suspended boulders onto the plank between a jaw dropped Elsword and Banthus. "What are you waiting for, idiot!? Go now!"

Rena turns back to the incoming swordsmen. With Aisha's fiery rocks illuminating the cave, bandits run in a straight line between the pitfalls, finding that sweet spot. "Freezing Arrow!" An icicle shoots out of her bow, gutting their chests and spreading ice all over to freeze their bodies where they stand. From the corner of her eye, Rena spots one straggler by a cliff. He jumps at her, sword pointed to impale, but a fireball slams him into a pitfall's spikes. "Thanks, Aisha." She looks around the room one more time and sees Luichel holding something by the entrance, but questioning her can wait. Helping Elsword is more important right now.

He's jumping away from every wide swing and leaping stab Banthus does. Aisha runs to the left of Elsword and shouts, "Lightning Bolt!" Electricity surges from her staff at Banthus's right arm, dropping his broadsword and making him convulse uncontrollably.

"Mega Slash!" The boy swings at that shocked arm, knocking the hulking man down by the throne chair. Huffing and puffing, Elsword nudges closer. "You're under arrest, Banthus." Rena pulls out the handcuffs from her pocket.

Even with a bleeding, scorched right arm, he still has the gall to smile back at the boy. "Really now?" Banthus's left hand pulls the gray lever on the throne so hard it snaps off, and a trap door below him opens. He falls through right before it closes.

"No!" Elsword strikes the trap door with his blade a few times before stomping on it. "We had the guy, too! Damn."

Aisha puts the lever handle back in its slot and pulls, but it won't stay in. "Hoffman's not going to like this. We didn't bring Banthus into custody _or_ kill him."

Amid fire crackling, the sound of ice crunching turns the El Search Party around to see Luichel. She's walking by the line of frozen bandits while holding a small rectangular machine in her hand. "I wouldn't worry too much. After all, this nasod camera recorded everything that happened once you three came in. I hid in the underground waterway below until I heard all of you enter, and that was worth it since this was mostly a success. Great job, team!" She jogs closer for a high five, but a shining arrow lodges itself into the ground by her feet. Luichel jumps back, raising an eyebrow. "Rena, is something wrong?"

Elsword and Aisha gawk at her approaching the merchant. "They were prepared to ambush us, and I'm betting you're involved. You tipped off the bandits about us coming, right?"

She rests an elbow over a frozen bandit's shoulder. "Yeah, I did that, but I thought it'd be good training for when you guys have to fight Wally's knights. They'll be guarding him all the—"

Rena grabs Luichel by her blouse and lifts the peddler off the ground. "If your 'training' got us killed, what would you do then!? You're lucky we're ok, or else I'd be more than just angry." She drops the woman and brushes past her on the way out.


	11. Chapter 11: Long-lasting

Chapter 11: Long-lasting

Panting heavily, Elsword runs out of Banthus's hideout to catch up with Rena. The night sky is clear and full of twinkling stars. Squinting his red eyes, he sees the elf striding to Elder's gate and holding something yellow by her right ear. She must be stressed after hearing what Luichel said, but why is Rena going alone to town? Something's not right if she mentioned Aisha is as bad as Lowe's cadets, so he continues running to find out what's troubling her. Clouds of sand fly, battering his vision, so he closes both eyes. His lungs ache for oxygen during this sprint, but breathing in a sandstorm might not be the best idea. A sharp breath sucks in dirt, forcing a cough so hard that his chest feels ready to fall. The lack of El is really making this simple trip back to Elder a pain, but it's good training at least. Every step he takes is one against chaotic El, stinging his body with earthy pellets.

Time feels lost as the boy trudges on. Clutching his chilled shoulders, he wishes for the howling wind to die away. Is Rena caught in this mess, too, or is the redhead that unfortunate? Elsword can't imagine how Aisha and Luichel are handling this somewhere behind him. There's no way he'll call out to them unless another gulp of dirt is on the menu, so his mouth stays shut. Fast congested inhales through his nose ration air to both lungs.

Instead of grainy soil underfoot, he finally steps over smooth stone ground. The pelting sand against his body has stopped, too, so Elsword must be at Elder's northern gate. When he opens both eyes to look, Elsword coughs out more sand and breathes quickly. His whole body is coated with crust, dropping from him every time he moves. Rena isn't in sight. Leaning by the gate's side is a tall man in a navy-blue trench coat, and his sky-blue eyes are glaring at the redhead. Maybe that guy knows where Rena went off to? "Hey there, did you see a tall elf—" The inside of Elsword's throat itches, spitting another cough onto the ground. He wipes his mouth of saliva before continuing. "An elf with green hair and eyes pass through here? She had a bow—"

"You're talking about Rena. I get it." The man walks closer, keeping an arrogant look on his face. "Before telling you more, answer me this. Why are you in such a hurry to see her that you deserted Aisha and Luichel?"

Elsword spins around, eyeing the sandstorm ahead. Banthus's cave is obscured by the white bits of debris whirling about, and there's no sign of his comrades. "I-I thought they were right behind me! I'll see if I can find them."

Right as he takes one foot off the ground, something grabs his shirt collar and yanks him backwards. "Do you have a death wish? You barely survived a trek in that storm, so why risk your life by going through it again?"

No matter how much wriggling Elsword does, that grip doesn't let up. "Aisha's part of my team, and there's no way I'm gonna abandon someone I fight with." His struggling stops. "Wait a second, how do you know Aisha and Luichel? I didn't mention them." He feels his shirt collar free again, so Elsword turns back to the man, who's now holding a yellow communication device Aisha used. Pointing at the machine, Elsword yells, "How do you have _that_!? Only Rena, Aisha, and Secret Service are supposed to have one!"

The trench coat wearer sighs. "How much do you even know about Secret Service?"

This guy sure has a lot of questions, but what's with the attitude for someone he just met? Elsword brushes sand off his skin and clothes while he talks. "Aisha told me the people in Secret Service are Ciel, Ain, Zero, and Rose. The last person I mentioned is the one who made that yellow thing to let us talk to each other from afar." Unbuckling his sheath strap, he wipes the clinging dirt on the weapon's hilt. "So, are you gonna start explaining yourself now? Who are you, how do you know about S.S. and the El Search Party, and why do you have that?"

A thumb pressing one of the red buttons lets out a familiar voice. "Rose here." She's the same person Aisha was talking to earlier, but what does this guy want with her?

"This is Aisha speaking," the machine says. Elsword's mouth hangs open at hearing his ally without the whirling sand in the audio. Did she pass by without realizing? If so, why didn't that girl wait here for him?

The man positions the yellow device a foot away from his chin. "This is Ciel, letting you all know Elsword made it through the sandstorm. We'll stay the night at the inn. Aisha and Luichel, we'll be waiting for you by Hoffman's residence in the morning. The weather should be calmer for you both to leave Banthus's hideout at that time." They never left?

Once Ciel presses the red button again, the boy yells, "Why didn't you tell me all that sooner!?"

"I wanted to see if your heart was in the right place first." Giving Elsword a smirk, the 'teammate' beckons him to follow. "You're not some freeloading brat, so let's head to the inn."

"Not yet." He raises an eyebrow at Elsword unsheathing his weapon. The boy shouts, "If you think I'm gonna forget you calling me a freeloading brat, you've got another thing coming!"

Sagging his shoulders forward, Ciel sighs once more. "I just said you're _not_ some freeloading brat."

"I heard you, but you called me a freeloading brat in your head! That's the reason you asked those questions, right? I've had it with adults thinking I'm not responsible just because I'm young." Elsword kicks his red sheath to the side, clacking it against the gate's stone wall. "I may not be as strong as Rena or Aisha, but I swear I'm giving it my all. I'll prove it by sparring you right here and now, so get ready."

His body still feels sore from the sandstorm's beating. It's struggling just to hold a sword up, but he doesn't regret his decision. It may seem like all bark and no bite in the end, yet Elsword feels this 'bark' will be louder than usual. The El flows through his body and emits an aura of red light around him. Lowe explained this phenomenon was him resonating with the El, causing an awakening of temporary power.

Ciel raises both eyebrows for a split second before giving that arrogant look again. "This sparring is a waste of energy, you know." A waste, like how Aisha said using so much mana in one attack was a waste of the team's power. So irritating. The man unsheathes his two gun blades, standing firm where he is.

If that guy won't make a move, it's time for a first impression. "Unlimited Blade!" Elsword dashes to him, swinging his weapon to the right, left, and right again, but Ciel steps back from these attacks. Spinning around for another right slash comes next, following up with two upward slashes. All of these hit thin air, though, as his opponent stays just out of reach. It's probably because of how tired the boy feels, but there's one more part of this technique. The El inside him erupts, releasing a red explosion, launching Ciel off the ground. His back slams into the ebony lamppost by the stairs before he falls. Elsword kneels, supporting his balance with the blade held straight down against the ivory ground. "H-how's that?" Huffing and puffing, he pushes himself up.

Ciel shakily gets on his feet and grins at the boy. "You sure pack a mean punch, but can you take one?" In one lunge, he closes the distance between them and swings one of his gun blades. Focusing the El into his sword, the redhead braces it to block the incoming attack. Ciel's slash bounces off Elsword's weapon, flinging the gun blade out of his grip. "What the—" A rising swing urges the man to block with his other gun blade, but the collision still causes both feet to slide backwards. He aims the weapon by Elsword's foot before shooting, leaving a scorch mark on the ground next to the boy and an echoing bang in his ear. "It's obvious who would win from afar, so let's end our sparring bout."

The red light around his body fades away. "Dude, why are you trying to sound all high and mighty? Just admit you got careless because you underestimated me."

As Elsword walks to his sheath by the gate's side, Ciel lets out a sigh. "I was simply telling you there's no point in continuing. If you had ranged attacks, I would gladly fight on. Think about covering your weakness if you want to be as strong as Rena or Aisha." The redhead frowns at his sword while he sheathes it, knowing it's all too true. Those cadets, rock throwing phorus, William, and Banthus would've been easier to handle if he fought from a distance.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Rena yells. Elsword looks in Ciel's direction, seeing the elf pursing her lips at the man. "Is this your idea of looking after him?"

"I'm sorry," Ciel mutters as he stares at his own feet. "This won't happen again."

She glances at the boy and gives a bittersweet smile before striding past a house, westward. "Hey, wait!" He jogs towards where she was, but Ciel stands in his way. "I gotta talk to her about something."

"And I need to explain why she doesn't want to be around you or Aisha for now, but let's talk at the inn. We'll catch a cold at this rate."

Ciel leads him eastward through Elder's outermost street, devoid of any townspeople or lit candles. After reaching the eastern lamppost, they continue past an odd building. It looks more like a giant ebony machine than a house because of the gears and pistons on the roof. Its gray sign above the door has red, blue, and yellow flask paintings. The text by them reads, "Echo's Alchemy Shop," but what merchandise is alchemy?

"Do you know the stuff they sell here?" When Ciel turns to look, Elsword points at the smoky-colored door. "Ruben doesn't have an alchemy shop, so I wouldn't know."

A shining azure bullet appears between the gunman's fingers. "For people that can't manipulate the El, like how I made this ammunition, they developed technology to live prosperously. Alchemy is a part of that technology, and those people are called Debrians. That's not to say Elrians can't perform alchemy, though."

The redhead lets out a yawn. "Ok, but what do they sell?"

He crushes the bullet in his hand. "I was _getting_ to that, but I wanted to educate you _first_ since you don't know alchemy. Nearly everything can be made from the practice, but most alchemists create food."

Crossing both arms, Elsword rolls his eyes to the side. "You can eat bread without knowing how to bake it."

Ciel facepalms, sighing deeply. "Let's move on."

The next building they pass is one painted in weapon designs, cats pawing smithy hammers, people wearing armor, and more cats, all wearing bib aprons. A metallic sign above the front door reads, "Swordsmith Cats - The Place Before Fights!" No weapon is gonna replace the one Lowe made, though.

By the eastern gate, a building twice that of Hoffman's place is where Ciel stops at. "Here we are, Elder's inn. Because of the grand market, visitors and merchants already booked every room except mine. It's a single bed kind of room, too, and I honestly wasn't expecting you to show up, so…"

"I can sleep on the floor." Aisha and Luichel are going to have a rough time sleeping tonight, so why should he sleep luxuriously just because he made it past a sandstorm? It feels selfish, knowing his deserted allies have it worse.

Inside Ciel's room, there's an empty bookshelf, a desk by the square window, and next to that is a bed at the corner. Everything's a light brown color and wooden aside from the bed's leafy-green blanket. As Elsword sits on the cold, smooth floor, Ciel gives him a brown pillow and the blanket. "I can make do without, so you can have them."

"Thanks." He leans his weapon by the corner. Then, Elsword rests his head on the cushion while covering himself with the cotton fabric. Turning on his right to face the red sheath, the boy asks, "So, how come Rena's avoiding me and Aisha?"

Creaking sounds out from behind. "She's feeling overprotective and thinks a little time away from both of you would help get over it. Rena also wanted to talk with the rest of S.S. without me around, so she'll be killing two birds with one stone. By the end of tomorrow, we'll swap teams again. Good night, Elsword."

There's a lot on her mind that she doesn't want to share. Is it a matter of trust, or is there something he can't know? The El Search Party felt like a strong team after that camaraderie in Banthus's cave, but now, there's a sinking feeling in his chest. "Good night, Ciel."

When he opens his eyes, warm sunlight reflects off Elsword's sheath. A cramp surges through his right side once he lies on his back. The boy grunts in pain, but a sweet fragrance drifts by his nose. Inching to a sitting position, he spots a plate of three steaming pancakes on the desk. Beside the plate is a folded napkin with a fork and knife resting on top. A cool breeze flies through the open window above, sending a clearer smell of cinnamon to him. It's chow time!

Just as he picks up the fork, the door opens, and Ciel walks in with a steamy cup in his hand. A faint smell of coffee sweeps by as he goes to the bed. "Good morning. I fried those pancakes, so tell me how they taste." He sips his drink while Elsword takes a large bite from the fluffy brown dessert. The flavor is a perfect blend of cinnamon, honey, and bananas.

Still holding a mouthful, he mumbles, "Iz sho yummy!"

Ciel chuckles as he sits on the bed, creaking from its pressed springs. "Thank goodness it's still tasty. I thought of using honey potions and banana milk this time since the inn chefs had plenty to spare, but I wasn't sure how honey potions were different than normal honey."

After swallowing, Elsword asks, "Why did you cook breakfast? It's not like I don't appreciate the food, but I thought you'd be rich from your hitman job. At least, that's what Aisha guessed when she told me about you. Why not save time and energy by paying for meals?"

The hitman sets his empty cup on the desk and slides the window shut. "I used to think that was a good idea when I made a promise to my little sister, Terre. Once I got rich, I'd buy all the cookies from Lanox's bakeries because she always wanted them."

Just cookies? Lanox must have the best confectioners in Elrios. As the boy takes another mouthful of pancakes, he wonders how their cookies would compare to this. "What changed your mind?"

Sitting back on the squeaking bed, Ciel stares down at his feet. "Two reasons, but the main reason is that my guardian, Verni, told me, 'If you can't learn discipline, you can't take care of yourself, and you definitely can't take care of others.'" Maybe that saying can apply to teamwork. If Elsword can't learn to cover his own weakness, he can't take care of himself or anyone else. "He made me fry pancakes all day to learn some patience and eventually taught more recipes to me. Now, I've come to like my cooking a lot more than eating purchased food."

Verni feels similar to Lowe and how he taught a few recipes, such as whole grain bread, spirit tea, and phoru cookies. "I'd love to meet Verni. Is he usually free, or is he too busy to teach cooking?"

Ciel murmurs, "V-Verni's… not available to teach." He stands up and marches to the door. "I'll be at Hoffman's residence, so don't keep me waiting." Did he say something wrong about Verni?

When Elsword goes to Hoffman's front door, nobody's outside. He opens it to see Ciel, Aisha, Luichel, and Hoffman staring at that nasod camera, lying on a table between the sofas. "Sorry I'm late."

The purple-haired girl looks over her shoulder at him and then scoots to the sofa's middle cushion. "No, you're just in time. We finished watching Luichel's video of our fight with Banthus." As Elsword sits by her, she asks, "Did we earn your trust, or should we do something else?"

Hoffman pulls out a silver key from his pocket. "You've proven yourselves to be trustworthy enough, so here's the key for the underground waterway." He hands it to Ciel. "Even though it's Elder's sewer system, Luichel discovered it connects to Wally's castle. Since Banthus fell down that trap door, above the underground waterway, it probably dropped him inside the tunnel. You'll be able to arrest him for sure this time _and_ get Ruben's El Stone back from Wally. Not a bad plan, huh?"

The boy nods and stands up. "We'll drag Banthus here before you know it, so look forward to that."

Past the northern gate, Elsword takes in a deep breath and exhales. No sandstorms or freezing wind. The sun is almost directly above, slightly obscured by clouds. Aisha flicks his ear, drawing a sharp pain there. "I still can't believe you ditched me and Luichel, idiot. What were you thinking when you saw that sandstorm?" Her voice deepens as she says, "It's just Wind El gone wild, totally safe, right?"

Ciel shrugs his shoulders as he catches up with Aisha. "You gotta admit him surviving is impressive, though. Even I was surprised."

"Pfft, that was just his dumb luck."

Elsword jogs to her right side and bows slightly. "I know you don't expect much from me, but that's why I want to cover my weaknesses with your help." She furrows her eyebrows at him. Aisha's irritating, but Elsword can't think of a better person to ask. "A lot of fights could've been easier if I knew how to attack from afar, and you mentioned how I wouldn't be so useless with enough practice controlling the El. I don't want to keep slowing the team down. Please, train me how to better manipulate El, like you can."

Those purple eyes widen right before she looks away. "As if I should bother doing something _that_! I'm the genius mage, and you're just an ungrateful bumpkin." Has Aisha's tongue gotten sharper overnight? If he wasn't asking for help, Elsword wouldn't just be frowning at her now.

"If you're truly a genius," Ciel says, "it should be obvious why you oughta train him. Would you enjoy picking up his slack, or would you prefer asking others to do it for you all the time?"

Aisha stares daggers at the man. "Neither one, duh! Fine, fine, I'll work my magic on getting him semi-decent with managing the El, but not right now. Once we finish our business with Banthus and Wally, I'll start his training."

The redhead fist bumps the air. "Yes! Thank you so much, Aisha!"

"Hmph, it's not like I _want_ to help you, dummy. I just don't want this team slowed down."

As they approach the stairs leading to the underground waterway, its stench crawls into Elsword's nose. Ciel puts a hand over his nose and mouth, coughing before taking the first step down after Aisha. He lets go, pulling the key from his trench coat pocket. "I expected a bad smell, but that's putting this lightly."

She peers around the vertical bars while Ciel turns the key in the door. It's a long, dark path covered in brown sludge. "Luichel said Wally's knights are supposed to clean up the sewage, but that was before they stopped helping Elder. That's probably why it smells so bad."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about running into them here," Elsword says.

A fireball manifests in Aisha's right palm, held up, as she walks past Ciel. "I'll lead the way since it's dark." Elsword gawks at the levitating flame, staying with her every step and never falling close to burn skin. The squelching noises of their footsteps soon lose the boy's attention. Controlling that mystical ember must be pretty fun, and it's more than just handy. She can probably use it for cooking and make campfires in a snap. The Landar family name is finally earning its reputation in Elsword's mind as he watches, never losing track of where the flame moves. "I know my magic is cool to look at, but you'll go blind if you keep staring at fire. Maybe blink a few times while you're at it."

Blinking fervently makes him see how much of an afterimage is burned into his eyes. "Urgh, sorry. It's just that I always thought magic was smoke and mirrors before, so it's amazing to see fantasy made real, you know?"

"I _don't_ know. It's kinda hard to fantasize when you grew up knowing anything is possible with enough magic."

"Anything?" Ciel says. "Even reviving the dead?"

"Yes, but something that grand needs a lot of magic, something I don't have." Giddy laughter spills from her mouth. "Eventually, I _will_ have that kind of power when I find the Ring of Mimir again."

Before either of the two listeners could question what the Ring of Mimir is, faint clanging and screeching grab their attention to the path ahead. There are several torches lighting the way, but each of them is held by a knight. Massive black and white bats screech, raising some of the knights' hands to clutch their ears. Farther knights throw their knives at the bats and pin them against the yellow brick wall. Dog-sized rats crawl out from below a drainage pipe's opening, eyeing the people without a weapon. Those rodents swarm their prey to rip armor, clothes, and flesh with their long fangs, ignoring their food's screams. The knights that covered their ears hurl torches at these devourers and burn them to a crisp. From the shadows of pipes, ghostly figures in white cloaks wave their wooden staves, which hurl balls of purple energy at these torchless fighters. They explode after colliding and fling the lot to their backs.

Throbbing pain stabs Elsword's stomach at seeing all the carnage. At any second over there, he could end up like one of those fallen knights. Elkashu and Lowe taught him how dangerous the outside world is, but this is beyond his wildest imagination. "W-why don't we just wait until one side is out before going into the fray?" It's a valid tactic to simply have two different forces wear each other down until the winning force is victorious but exhausted. That way, a third force can wipe out what's remaining with relative ease.

"Hey, look over there!" a knight shouts. "Isn't that the kid and witch Banthus mentioned? They came from the southern entrance, so we can leave these fiends after killing those brats!"

All the knights look in the trio's direction and charge at them. The redhead wants to run far away from here, but his feet refuse to budge. It's not the crowd of knights heading in his direction that has him stiff. It's that combined with the monster horde chasing right behind. Their thumping footsteps grow louder, tick-tocking his demise by the second.

"Leave this to me!" Ciel runs past Aisha, who's gawking at the oncoming wave of death. He aims his gun blade at the knight in the lead. "Flick Shot!" A shimmering azure ball fires from the muzzle, sliding Ciel backwards a couple feet. That ball pierces through the knight's skull and divides itself into three smaller bullets that ricochet off the other knights' throats. In a matter of seconds, the human opponents fall to the brown sludge, mixed with at least a gallon of their blood.

It's not over yet as the monsters quickly approach the dark-red pool. Ciel fires smaller bullets at the bats outspeeding the rest, but they take two shots before going down. At this rate, the rodents and ghost magicians will pass the human corpses and—

Aisha twirls and disappears before reappearing next to Ciel. Pointing her staff at the pool of blood, she yells, "Lightning Bolt!" Electricity zaps the liquid, instantly shocking the monsters. The rats twitch and squirm around each other, slowly doing it less as time goes on, until their bodies stop moving. For the electrocuted ghost magicians, their shadowy figures vanish, leaving only their white cloaks and staves. "Heh, you and I make a pretty good team, Ciel." She turns to the boy, still frozen in place. "Not like the chicken back there. Elsword, think of this as your first training lesson. 'Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality,' and don't you forget it."

The knights' torches from afar extinguish, sweeping in a wave of darkness that stops by the electrifying pool. An ebony bat five times larger than the other bats flies into view from the darkness and screeches as it makes a beeline to her. The purple-haired girl spins back right as the bat's talons lash at her torso, launching Aisha off the ground. A shriek escapes her mouth before she crashes against the yellow wall and falls to the sludge. Ciel fires another shining azure ball from his gun blade, but instead of the sphere dividing upon impact with the bat's face, it warps into a spinning blade. He shouts, "Elsword, did you already forget what Aisha told you!?"

Where's the _courage_ to act? What's with the selfish thoughts about _one_ life on the line when there's a team in danger? How can a weakling show what it means to give it your _all_? Screaming from the top of his lungs, Elsword unsheathes his blade and charges at the monster. It faces the redhead but flinches from a couple of Ciel's shots to the face. In one downward swing against the ground, Elsword screams, "Flame Geyser!" A pillar of fire erupts from below, engulfing the bat in searing light. The beast flutters randomly for a few seconds and then plummets to the blood pool, motionless like the rest. He looks at Aisha, leaning her back against the wall and clutching a gashed, bleeding abdomen with one hand. Her other hand is still holding a ball of flame to illuminate the surroundings. "A-are you ok?"

She winces and glares at him. "Stupid, do I _look_ ok?"

Ciel, holding a handful of green leaves and gauze, rushes to her side. "I'll treat your wounds in a jiffy, so hold still." He turns to the boy as she lifts her bloody hand off that stained, tattered blouse. "Stay on guard for us, ok?"

With a nod, Elsword looks for any signs of more knights or monsters. He hears snipping and Aisha's grunts behind him. "Should we head back to Elder, so Aisha can rest? Bringing a lantern with us for next time should help with the darkness."

"I'm not leaving you guys. Not after how far we've come. Besides, I wouldn't like asking Ciel to pick up your slack the whole time." A couple squishy footsteps coming from behind turn the redhead to look. Aisha is standing up straight next to Ciel. Her abdomen is wrapped with slightly reddened gauze, and the bottom half of her blouse that would've covered those wounds is cut off. "See? His Yggdrasil leaves did the trick, so I'm fine." After one quick step forward, she bites her lip. "Maybe I should rest in Elder after getting Banthus handcuffed." Elsword and Ciel chuckle before they follow her, going deeper into the underground waterway.

It's not long until they find the bandit, lying on his side in front of a red gate, similar to the entrance. His right arm is inside a massive golden gauntlet that travels up to his shoulder, and he's got a golden chained pendant hanging around his neck. "I knew you would come this way, so I had Wally replace my broken arm with this nasod arm." Banthus's new wrist is twice as thick as his human one, which means the handcuffs won't fit. "Here's a preview of what I can do to you," the bandit says as he angles the pendant up and behind his back. A red laser shoots out from the golden accessory, striking the ceiling above the gate. A rumbling noise reverberates throughout the tunnel as heaps of yellow from the hit ceiling collapse. They shake the ground with every falling chunk, piling in front of the exit until it's entirely covered. "Hah, no getting into Wally's castle now!"

"We weren't going there anyway," Ciel says. "We've come to arrest you." He aims both gun blades at Banthus, who has a wide grin plastered on his face. "But I'm not against killing you if I must."

"I wonder which is faster? My laser or your—" Two gunshots to the forehead push the bandit to his back.

With widened eyes, Aisha and Elsword look up at the hitman. "Was that really necessary?"

"He didn't even stand up, and his broadsword wasn't here this time," Elsword adds.

Ciel strides to the fallen thief, leans over, and blasts the pendant's chains off with his gun blade. "This weapon he had is far more lethal than any of the monsters or knights we fought here, which should've been _obvious_ to you two when he shot the ceiling. No amount of first aid would've helped anyone if they got hit, so I wasn't about to take a chance. Hoffman should understand why we had to kill Banthus if that's what you're more worried about." Are all hitmen as ruthless as Ciel, and if so, how do they discard their merciful feelings?

Aisha turns to walk back the way they came. "I hope you're right."

Following behind, Elsword thinks, "Was Elkashu just as ruthless in the Velder Civil War?"


	12. Chapter 12: Trusting a Monster

Chapter 12: Trusting a Monster

A constant beeping jolts Zero up from his bed to look at the monitor, taking most of the wall's space. It's the only thing giving light in the room, so he shuts his eyes against the blinding sight. He claps twice, making the ceiling lights turn on. Staring directly at the camera, Rose is holding the surveillance unit with both hands and mouthing something. The supervisor groans as he swings his legs over the bedside. He trudges around strewn machine parts and tools before reaching his recliner, leaning all the way back. In front of the chair is a desk, littered with blueprints, a half-eaten sandwich, and devices. Grabbing the unit's controller and headset, Zero lies down on the recliner. The moment he disables the alarm and unmutes audio, her voice berates his ears. "How much sleep do you need!?"

Opening the unit's eyes, Zero grunts back. "I'm awake, so pipe down already. Are we on the move?" This is the guestroom Ciel told Rose to sleep in, but it's hardly illuminated by a candle on the windowsill. "You can always just stuff me in your robe if you really need to go somewhere."

She releases the machine and scoots away to the foot of her bed. "I'd rather have you as revolvers before doing that, and no, we're not going anywhere." Rose intertwines her fingers, lowering both hands to the tan blanket. "I, um, wanted to talk." _Boring_, so Zero rotates the surveillance unit, turning x-ray vision on. Ciel is not too far east from here, and it looks like he's fighting a person smaller than him. Downstairs, Ain is laying down on the sofa. "Hey, this is serious." The camera shakes violently as it snaps to Rose, holding the machine again. Frowning at him, she lets go and says, "Can't you read the mood?"

"You can talk without me looking at you, right? Get on with it." As much as he would like to tell her Ciel might be in danger, it'd probably be a smarter idea to keep quiet about him fighting until it's more relevant. That way, Zero can rub it in her face that she hogged the only surveillance camera around.

A chain blade, dark as the night sky, appears in Rose's hand. She brings it forward, inches away from the camera. "Does this scare you?" His chuckling answers back, yet her staring remains serious. How could something in Elrios scare him in Heaven? If she destroys this machine, Dr. Cloud will teleport a replacement to where the last coordinates were. "Let me rephrase the question, sir. If I was holding this weapon in your office, would it scare you?"

"Yeah, I'd be scared. Who wouldn't be?" The weapon vanishes as both hands cover her eyes. Sniffling and shaking from Rose turn to sobbing and tears rolling down her cheeks. Hoo boy, here come the waterworks.

"I-I knew it… I've turned into s-some monster. All cuz of the Dark El."

"Listen crybaby, if you were actually a monster, you wouldn't be bawling your eyes out, worrying about scaring others. You know why I say insensitive things to you sometimes?"

She rubs her puffy reddened eyes. "Y-you hate me. Before I came to Elrios, I heard you had to leave your job at R&D to be my supervisor."

Dumbstruck at such a spiteful response, Zero compares his days leading R&D to this job. It's true that he doesn't get to work on many development projects, but this experience at Elrios is one of a kind. "You think R&D let me have _this_ much eye candy?" Rose grabs the side of the surveillance and flips it to the ceiling, riddled with star decorations that faintly shine from the candlelight. "Seriously though, I don't hate you for getting me this job. None of the researchers get to analyze Elrios as much as I do, but let's get back to what I said earlier." Knocking is coming from somewhere, but Zero isn't picking up any sound waves like that from Elrios. Is this unit's microphone damaged? "I say insensitive things to check if you're sane enough to respond. You're not the only one worried about Dark El, got that?" He hears creaking, but there are still no sound waves in Elrios.

The camera snaps back to Rose's face, giving him a bittersweet smile. "Thank you for checking on me, sir. I'm glad to have you here."

"Heh, it's not often I'm this nice, so how about giving me a treat? Maybe a strip tease? Ow!" A pinch on his right cheek springs Zero up, taking off the headset in a hurry. "Ok, who the hell did that?"

It's not often that he gets an unscheduled visitor in his office, but the person in front of Zero is none other than Princess Vega Erze Von Philasia. He drops to a low bow over his chair. Despite how short Her Majesty is, Erze's authority is the highest compared to anyone in Heaven. Just how much of his conversation did she hear? "A man like you stooping so low with Miss Testarossa disgusts me. I was curious how both of you were faring, but I never thought to see an office like this." He doesn't have to look to know his pigsty of a room. Machine parts, tools, dirty clothes, food wrappings, and plenty of dust cover most of the marble floor. "Tomorrow morning, I expect this room to be clean." Tomorrow morning!? This sounds like another all-nighter. "And I'll even give you the honor of my presence for the entire day. Good night, Mr. Cipher."

He remains bowing as her shoes tap away to the door. Not too long after the door creaks open, it slams shut. Zero flops, groaning at the idea of cleaning this office. First thing to do is tell Rose he'll be occupied. The supervisor puts on his headset and transforms the unit into revolvers. They fall on the tan blanket by her crossed legs. "Hey, uh, did you hear all that? I forgot to unmute myself."

A smug grin is plastered on Rose's face as she picks up the weapons. "Yep, and you really deserved that, pervert. Have fun cleaning while I go to sleep."

Zero mutes himself and enables speaker audio, so he can hear what's happening. A knock raises her blue eyes to the guestroom door. While she places the guns in her robe, the supervisor lays the unit's controller and headset on the desk. The revolvers' camera feed shakes as she walks to the tan door. He picks up a couple shirts off the floor, twisting his nose at their stench, before fixating on the monitor.

Standing in the doorway is a _stacked_ elf! "Hello, my name's Rena, and I'll be taking Ciel's place in S.S. for tomorrow." She points a thumb behind her shoulder. "I've already told Ain not to try anything funny with you, so there's no need to worry." The lovely, smiling lady extends a hand forward. "I'm happy to finally meet you, Rose."

As soon as their hands shake, Rose's arm twitches. "I-I'm, ugh, _happy_ to meet you, too!" After Rena lets go and turns around, Rose uses her other hand to close the door. She holds her twitching red hand by the revolvers as she lies on the bed. "What the heck did I do to tick her off?"

Zero grabs the headset, unmutes himself, and says, "Maybe your bigger proportions made her jealous?"

"Just shut up and do your cleaning already."

It's six in the morning, and when he lies down over his bed, a knock comes through the door. She's _this_ early? Dragging himself up, his aching back yearns for more rest as he lets Erze in. "Good morning, Mr. Cipher." She takes in a deep sniff while he returns to bed. "Ah, it smells very… _minty_ inside." Dang it, was that mint perfume too strong? Her Majesty circles the nearly barren stainless-steel desk in the middle of his room, eyeing the shiny marble floor, polished wooden closet next to the bed, and the waxed ebony recliner. "Good job making your office tidy, but where shall I sit?"

Zero facepalms. Of all the things to forget, it's a seat for the princess. He planned to sit on the recliner, but his bed will have to suffice. "Um, you can use the recliner." She props the chair's head up and then backwards at a slight angle. "I-I'm sorry about leaning that all the way down, Your Majesty. There are earbuds on the desk for you to hear them."

Plugging her right ear with one of the earbuds, Erze gazes at the monitor. It's showing a panoramic view of Rose, Ain, and Rena eating a salad at the ivory dining table. The revolvers are lying at the table's center. "Please ask what today's objective is, and do _not_ mention that I am watching."

Pretty sure Rose already knows, but whatever. Clearing his throat, Zero covers only his left ear with his headset and unmutes himself. "Good morning, Rena." The elf raises her green eyebrows at the guns. "Sorry for not speaking all this time, but my name's Zero. Do you know what we'll be doing today?"

"_You're_ Zero? I was about to ask where you were, but I didn't know talking guns were a part of this team." She points her fork, still piercing a wad of spinach, at Rose. "Why didn't you tell me about them earlier?"

Still chewing, the blonde leans back in her ivory chair. "I think she wanted me to introduce myself, or maybe surprise you?" Zero says. Rose shakes her head. "Ok, I'm guessing the former is true then. Sorry for taking a while to say anything, but I've been a little busy." Leaning over the recliner's left side, Erze taps her watch at the supervisor. "E-enough about me, though. What plans do we got today?"

Rena sets the fork in her ebony bowl, clinking softly. "We'll help Echo do whatever she needs assistance in."

Ain stabs his bowl with a fork. A squirt of tomato juice flies to his cheek, which he glances down at. "I don't see any purpose in wasting our time with that when our mission is to support the El Search Party. Is this supposed to accomplish something, and why did you swap teams with Ciel?" He sure isn't wasting time asking the real questions here, but Ain could loosen up a bit.

The elf grabs her napkin and taps Ain's wet cheek with it. He narrows his gray eyebrows at her hand until she pulls the napkin back. "Helping Echo won't get the El Stone, but it _will_ be an apology to her and to the El Search Party for your horrible teamwork."

"Ciel and I were sleep deprived, so we couldn't do any fighting. Just have her apologize to Echo and the El Search Party." Rose shoots a glare at Ain while he shuffles his salad bowl with a fork and spoon. "Normally, our teamwork is nothing to be worried about."

She leans closer to the ivory table, yelling, "And whose fault is it that you and Ciel couldn't sleep!?"

"I would think it's rather obvious who's at fault."

Ain and Rose make eye contact as they say, "You."

Rena slams the table with her palm, shaking the camera feed. Glaring back and forth between them, she says, "Both of you are grown adults, but your bickering is no better than how children argue. Explain yourselves." He stuffs his mouth with a clump of broccoli and extends a hand to Rose. "You want her to explain first, right?" Ain nods.

Crossing her arms in front, the blonde faces Rena. "I have Dark El inside my body, and Ciel probably told you that Ain is trying to get rid of it. Last night, Ciel stayed awake to stop him from going up to my room. If Ain didn't try getting to me, neither of them would've been sleep deprived." She frowns at him and says, "Your turn."

He sets his utensils in the bowl, clinking them. "The Dark El inside her is from the Demon Realm, and its demonic energy will corrupt those that aren't demons. In due time, she'll be indiscernible from a monster. Would you trust a monster with your life on the battlefield?" Ain cups both hands above the bowl, resting his chin on them. "Then again, we're supposed to trust _you_ on the battlefield despite being on the Night Savers' hit list. They must see you as some monster, so I'm sure you'll take her side regardless of what I say."

"I won't take anyone's side." Ain raises an eyebrow at her, who's giving him the cold stare. "Dark elves are still elves, so it's just their bodies that changed from exposure to demonic energy in the Demon Realm. I can't imagine how it'll affect someone who _isn't_ an elf, but I do know dark elves are _not_ indiscernible from monsters. Let's give Rose a chance before deciding what to do about her Dark El, ok?"

He leans back in his chair and rests both palms on the table. "If she begins acting hostile towards us without reason, are you fine with me removing her Dark El?" Rena nods to him. Grinning at Rose, he asks, "And what do _you_ think about that?" Way to rub it in, jerk.

She lowers her gaze to the ebony salad bowl. "I-I… suppose that's fine. I wouldn't even know if my sanity was lost by that point." What, no come back?

Zero clears his throat before speaking. "I'm no expert on Dark El, but what if she fought without using it? Wouldn't that slow her corruption?"

Ain shrugs, only glancing at the revolvers. "It's simply delaying the inevitable."

"Then, I won't use it." He gawks at her while Rena smiles at Rose. "I'll save it for emergencies, and besides." She picks up the guns, one in each hand. "I'm sure Zero has a bunch of weapons for me to test, right?"

"You bet! If Echo needs some monster extermination, we'll show how cool you are without Dark El."

A heavy sigh falls off Ain's mouth. "You all can do whatever you want, but I'd like to help the El Search Party, so if you'll excuse me."

When he moves away, Rena grabs his arm and pulls him back. "No, you're coming with us one way or another."

Ain winces as he tries pulling free. Her grip holds the man in place, soon bringing him down to one knee. "Ok, I'll tag along! Please let go of me."

As the trio make their way east, outside the guesthouse, Erze does a zipping motion across her mouth at Zero. He mutes his microphone. "It's muted now, so how can I help, Your Majesty?"

She leans her slender arm over the recliner's side. "What are your thoughts on Miss Testarossa's friends?"

"Ain's kinda arrogant, but I like how the dude gets right to business. I'm not too sure about Rena since I barely know her." He lets out a yawn, closing his eyes. "Apparently, a group called the Night Savers is trying to kill her, and everyone from the El Search Party and Ciel don't think she oughta be killed."

Erze mutters, "If the Night Savers endanger Miss Testarossa, order her to execute Rena." Zero opens his eyes to gawk at the princess, whose attention is back to the monitor. It's showing Rena opening the door to a house that looks like a giant ebony machine. "Are we clear, Mr. Cipher?"

"C-crystal clear, Your Majesty." How can a little girl, like Erze, be this cold?

Inside the machine-like building, wooden shelves along the walls are lined with merchandise. From bags of bread loaves or cookies to bottles of green, blue, or red liquid, this store feels like half a bakery and half a science lab. All the walls, floor, and even the ceiling are silvery and slightly reflective. The trio's shoes clack while they head deeper in, glancing at the items on sale. A silvery counter is the only thing separating Echo and Secret Service. Her blue eyes widen at seeing Rose, and for every step the blonde takes forward, the tiny girl takes a couple steps backwards to a door. Rena turns around, putting a hand in front of Rose. "Hold still for a bit, ok?" She faces Echo again. "Good morning, Echo. I'm Rena, from the El Search Party, and I wanted them to help you with anything you need today. Don't worry, she won't do anything scary." The elf looks over her shoulder. "Isn't that right?" Despite Rose not walking, the camera feed shakes. Maybe she's nodding a lot? Looking back to the white-haired girl, Rena holds out a hand. "I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday, but we can make it up to you."

"Can you protect me in the Shadow Forest?" After the elf nods, Echo's tiny hand shakes Rena's.

While the group heads south of Elder with Rose and Ain in the lead, Zero lets out another yawn. "Your Majesty, how did you come to the conclusion that I should order Anna to kill Rena if the Night Savers—"

"Do you know about Miss Testarossa's father?"

Hard not to hear news of him, especially when Zero got this job. "General Testarossa died somewhat recently in battle. Before that, he was demoted for disobeying an order to kill a territory's occupants."

"I fired the one who gave that order." Wearing a frown, Erze turns her face to Zero. "Those occupants surrendered peacefully and were unarmed, so there was no reason to kill. That's why he disobeyed. if it wasn't for that demotion, General Testarossa wouldn't have been on the front lines to pointlessly die." She faces the monitor, displaying S.S. and Echo passing by the Shadow Forest's rivers. Not all of them glow, strangely enough. "The least I can do is make sure his daughter won't perish for someone else's mistake, understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The group stops by a giant fallen tree. Its gray wood creates a makeshift bridge across a glittering river underneath. Kneeling, the little girl reaches in the azure-colored water, crashing against the tree. She pulls out a couple of blue glowing marbles. Her arm, head, and white tank top are soaked. Despite being this wet, she gives a tiny smile to everyone. "Did you guys know these magic beads cause the rivers to shine? I'm trying to figure out why the others don't have beads." This water's azure glow is the only source of light since overhead branches prevent any sunrays from entering, but Zero never would've guessed those tiny beads are the reason why the liquid glows.

"Those stubborn demons pillage whatever resources from Elrios they can find," Ain says. "It's no wonder some of the rivers have their magic beads stolen." Across the tree bridge, small white spheres float closer to the group. Behind them are shadowy bodies wearing red or purple cloaks and holding wooden staves. "Wisps and Dark Magicians, your kind are not welcome here!" He spins in a circle, snapping his fingers. In an instant, Ain's white cloak shines azure, and his gray hair turns white. With both hands, he shatters his pendulum and charges forward. Rose isn't that far behind, revolver in each hand. Ain spins once more and swats the air with his right hand, yelling, "Drilling Freeze Up!" Massive snowflakes appear, colliding to shape a drill before spiraling at his foes. The spinning ice pierces the demons and form crystals all over, turning them into sculptures.

Passing him, Rose points her revolvers at the closest wisp. "Moving Shot!" Zero activates the guns' rapid-fire mode, shattering the frozen targets with a slew of bullets until the demons are reduced to ice cubes.

Rena shouts, "Both of you, move to the side!" Rose turns to see giant green bees flying down to the elf and huge blue mushrooms, jumping towards her from the tree's holes. "Multiple Stinger!" Three massive radiant arrows fly off Rena's bow, one going up to the bees, another down through the tree, and the third coming straight to the mushrooms, Ain, and Rose! Red-orange energy bursts from her nitro motor as she flies to Ain, whisking him away. Another barrage of three arrows follows through, piercing the enormous green beehive hanging above and collapsing the bridge. Rena lifts Echo and sprints off the creaking tree before it sweeps down the river. Rose catches up, lowering Ain to the mossy soil. "Sorry for the short warning, but you two did a great job getting out of harm's way."

"Why didn't you use a safer attack?" he asks. The azure glow from Ain's clothes disappears, and his white hair turns gray. "If not for Rose, I would've been injured, carried by the current, or worse."

She wags her finger at him. "If you think about what you just said, you'll understand. I remember you also saying your teamwork is nothing to fret over, right?"

His eyebrows rise before he faces Rose. Looking to the side, Ain says, "I, um, owe you my life." He makes eye contact with her. "You're not a monster, and at this rate, we'll likely finish our duties before you ever become one. Can we make another truce between us, for real this time?"

She grabs his hand and shakes it. "Of course, Ain. Thank you for saying all that."


	13. Chapter 13: Targeting

Chapter 13: Targeting

As soon as Ciel, Elsword, and Aisha enter Hoffman's residence, the elder twists his nose at the grimy team. "Is Banthus handcuffed or...?" The young 'uns tread to the white sofa, but Hoffman waves his arms in front of them. "No, no, please don't sit there. I wouldn't like cleaning off whatever got on your clothes."

Groaning, they back up to the front door while Ciel holds out the golden necklace. "This is no ordinary necklace, Hoffman. Banthus made it shoot a laser, collapsing the ceiling in the underground waterway. A mountain of stone is in our way because of that, and there was no guaranteeing our safety against this. I had to kill him."

Hoffman takes the golden necklace with both hands, turning the accessory. "This looks like a wretched nasod! That bandit went too far, so you did the right thing. Anything else to report?"

"We took down some knights, who were sent to hunt Elsword and Aisha in the underground waterway." He looks over his shoulder at the two kids, leaning their backs against a brown wall. Staring at the ebony floor, Aisha holds her bandaged abdomen with one hand while Elsword gawks at Hoffman. "Banthus expected us to show up today. He even got his broken arm replaced by a nasod arm thanks to Wally. Nothing more to report, sir."

The elder strokes his own chin. "I believe desperate times call for desperate measures, so I'll gather Luichel and Lenphad to discuss your next move. Could you bring Secret Service here, too? We'll need all the help we can get."

Outside, Ciel presses the upper button on his communication device as Hoffman marches eastward. Beeping comes from Aisha's skirt, likely where her own communicator is. "This is Rose."

Aisha kneels by the round gray doorknob, holding it for support, as Elsword puts a hand on her left shoulder. The hitman bites his bottom lip before he says, "Ciel here. Please tell everyone in S.S. to meet at Hoffman's residence. He needs our help with something. Also, I'd like one of you to take Aisha's place. She was heavily wounded and needs rest."

Ain's voice comes through the speaker. "I'll join your group, Ciel."

In a matter of minutes, Hoffman returns with Luichel and Lenphad just as Secret Service and Echo come. Rena sprints to Aisha's side, and then, the elf raises her hand. "Airelinna Nymph!" A green sphere envelops the group, but Ciel doesn't see anything else happening. The only ones that don't have a confused expression on their faces are Ain, Rena, and Aisha. "What happened to you?"

As if her condition improved, Aisha stands up straight and glares at Elsword. "This dummy had me distracted from a monster." He scratches the back of his head, looking away. "I'm feeling a little better now, but I should rest at the inn."

Echo raises her tiny hand. "Hey, I have some healing potions and other stuff that could help your injury. I'm Elder's alchemist, Echo."

Elsword and Aisha's eyes widen as they shout, "What!?" Ciel wonders if they're surprised at Echo's youth, shocked at her being an alchemist, or both.

"I get that reaction a lot. Hurry up, ok? I need to reopen my shop." Without waiting for a response, Echo trots eastward with Aisha following behind.

Hoffman clears his throat before speaking. "Here's the situation, everyone. Banthus, his bandits, and some of Wally's knights are dead. Wally figured we would use the underground waterway to reach the castle, so he sent Banthus to blockade the passage. For now, Wally must have his guard down since he's probably waiting for Banthus to return with good news." Lenphad and Elsword's eyes light up with excitement. Rena crosses both arms while narrowing her gaze at Hoffman. Just like Ciel and the eager guys, she probably knows what'll come next. "The best course of action is to have every citizen who can fight raid his castle. This will surprise him since he's relaxed and low on troops. While that's happening, the El Search Party and Secret Service flank each of the battlements. One side leads to Wally's underground laboratory while the other goes to his garden, and he could be at one of these places if not in the castle's keep. What does everyone think of this plan?"

The blacksmith yells, "Alright! I've been waiting for us to overthrow Wally, so you got my vote and my arsenal."

"Try not be careless." Rena scowls at Lenphad, who grins back. "We have the element of surprise, but he still has knights, trained to fight more than the average citizen here." She points at Elsword. "That goes double for you, understand?" The boy's shoulders hang as his head slumps forward. Ciel chuckles at their exchange, especially with how overprotective she still is.

"What do you think we've been doing all this time?" Lenphad flexes his muscular arms, but the elf's frowning stays. "We trained day and night for an opportunity like this, so don't worry and do what you gotta do."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Rena playfully jabs Ain, who raises an eyebrow at her. "You gonna be ok without us? Rose and I will miss you, so be safe out there."

"I'll manage. Be careful, both of you." The two women nod and grin at him.

Ciel expected them to hate each other's guts, but they're getting along better than he imagined. "Hey, didn't you fight one of Wally's nasods? Please tell us everything you know about it."

Before Rose could speak, Ain says, "It's big and spacious enough for Wally to sit inside the center, where its el shard powers the nasod. We've seen it fly and swing its arms quickly, so watch out."

"Uh, thanks, Ain. Sir, when will the raid start?"

Hoffman turns to Luichel. "How long do you think you'll take, rallying everyone who can fight?"

The ginger-haired lady pumps her arms in the air. "Give me half an hour, and we'll be at Wally's doorstep."

Thirty minutes fly by as Hoffman leads the El Search Party and Secret Service east of Elder and over an ivory stone bridge with a tower at the midpoint. Underneath the pathway is a river, crashing its murky water against the bridge's support pillars and half-submerged tree trunks. A looming white castle stands across.

Both groups turn at the sound of footsteps to see Luichel march with an army of men and women right behind. Two wooden battering rams, carried by several muscular guys, divide the horde of approaching people. Ciel, Elsword, and Ain move closer to the eastern battlement while Rena and Rose go to the western one. The army stops in front of Hoffman, gazing at the hundreds of citizens before him. "It's been three years since we all learned how corrupt Wally's knights were thanks to a young girl named Elesis."

"Elesis!? How—"

Ciel slaps Elsword's mouth shut and whispers, "Shush, he's giving a speech."

"Wally admitted his involvement, threatened to cut ties with us if we didn't pay higher taxes, hired Banthus and his men to steal Ruben Village's El Stone." Hoffman raises the golden necklace above his head. "And even used a nasod in an attempt to silence our comrades. It's been too long since our cries for help were sent to Velder, especially since their civil war ended three years ago." He spreads both arms to the sides where the El Search Party and Secret Service are. "But these young men and women stand beside us in Velder's place. They defeated Banthus, all his cohorts, and some of Wally's knights. Our job as citizens is to bring chaos while they flank the battlements to reach the tyrant, hiding in this castle. As citizens, we will prosper as a community-driven population without needing a lord." The elder faces the castle entrance, two wooden doors thrice the height of everyone. "We stand here united for our freedom, safety, and Ruben's El Stone!"

The army roars as men holding the battering rams charge, pounding both doors at the same time. A boom erupts as they swing open to reveal men and women in suits of armor. These knights spin away and flee while the shouting citizens, raising their swords, spears, and shields, pour inside the castle. In a blur, Lenphad dashes in with his smith hammer. "I'm coming for ya, Verngert!" Clanging, cracking, and screams fill the air as both flanking groups watch the townspeople push through, allowing enough room to see battlement staircases on either side. Rena and Rose sprint to the western stairs while Ciel, Elsword, and Ain rush to the eastern stairs.

The trio of guys reach the top of the battlements without interruption, letting them see a better view of Elder's civil war below. A square plaza has knights coming in from the keep's gate to help the ambushed, but the citizens show no signs of slowing their assault. Luichel stabs knights in a flash with her two knives, weaving around their sword cuts like a dance of blades. With an echoing crash, Lenphad's hammer collides with a knight's spiked bat. Ain's voice jerks Ciel from his gawking. "Inside every watch tower, a crossbow knight is hiding. Don't approach without destroying their cover." That sounds like a coincidence, but when Ain throws a shimming orb at part of a watch tower, the stone crumbles to reveal a wide-eyed man holding a crossbow. "Just like that."

Ciel fires at the knight's eye. The opponent drops, motionless within seconds. "How do you know all of them have ambushers?" Ain charges onward, breaking more towers with a knight inside each of them. He's a strange one, but it's good to have him on the team. As much as Ciel wants to move on, he notices Elsword gazing at the civil war. "Let's not waste their efforts by standing around too long."

"When Hoffman mentioned Elesis, I couldn't believe it. She's my sister but somehow got us started on Elder's revolution." Ciel raises his eyebrows at that, realizing the irony of both siblings helping to overthrow Wally. "The only reason I'm here is to get strong enough to bring her home. Elesis ran away to help my father in the Velder Civil War, but I never imagined she got involved in this, too."

"I'm not sure I understand your situation." She brought an end to the Velder Civil War, which makes Elesis more than capable to return home by herself. Why does she need Elsword's help? "However, now isn't the time for this. We gotta move."

Elsword follows Ciel as he catches up with Ain, breathing heavily among fallen, limp knights. He glares at his teammates and yells, "What took you so long!?"

"Sorry to keep you." The hitman runs ahead, shooting the forehead of an oncoming man holding a greatsword. "We'll take point, so you can relax."

They break through lines of knights across the eastern battlement until reaching the castle's back. The keep in the middle blocks their view of the plaza. However, the trio can see Wally and two humanoid nasods in the clearing of a hedge maze. Stairs at the end of the battlement lead down to another clearing where doors, resembling the entrance, stand. A wooden crash bar locks them from the inside. Does Wally even know about the raiding, or is he prepping the nasods to fight? "Crouch down, you two." Elsword and Ain kneel behind waist-high merlons while Ciel aims for the old man's head. He pulls the trigger to fire, but the azure bullet disappears a couple meters from its target. Ciel drops behind a merlon as Wally turns at the gun's bang. "Sorry, I thought I was close enough for a shot."

Ain glares at the merlon he's crouched by. He looks angry, but it doesn't seem like that anger is focused on the hitman. "Wally turned his back to us." Upon standing, Ain proceeds to the battlement's stairs. Ciel pokes his head around the merlon and confirms Ain's claim to be true.

"H-how did he know?"

While the duo gets up, Elsword says, "Maybe his intuition is really lucky?" Maybe, but that's twice in a row today for such a lucky intuition.

They catch up with Ain downstairs and pass both doors. Several explosions from behind shake the ground, spinning their attention to a burning hole where the doors would be. Emerging from the ashes and smoke cloud are wild animals. Phorus hold wooden clubs or torches, monkeys carry a bag of round ebony bombs on their backs, and a huge phoru is missing fur, showing pink skin where its oversized suit of armor doesn't cover. "William!? What are you doing here?"

The hairless phoru chuckles, pointing his giant broadsword at the keep. "While you guys distract Wally, my crew and I steal from the geezer. Pretty good plan, huh?"

Elsword points his own blade at William. "Sounds like a plan for me to have revenge, so get ready for a beatdown!" Did they fight before, resulting in Elsword losing?

Sighing, Ain turns to the hedge maze. "I don't have time for this." He charges at the bushy green walls and cuts his own path with a transparent azure sword.

"Wait for us, Ain!" Ciel's yelling does nothing to slow the garden chopping, so he looks at Elsword.

He's already in front of William, and both fighters pull their own swords behind their backs. "Mega..."

The armored phoru smiles. "William..."

At once, they shout, "Slash!" Their blades clang against each other, neither losing ground. Ciel knows he can end the stalemate in one shot, but hurting such an adorable thing, like William, is a difficult choice for him. Those badger-like pointy ears look so cute.

Elsword leaps back and then lunges to close the gap, this time slashing at the ground in front. "Flame Geyser!" Anticipating the eruption of fire, the phoru spins and jumps away but not before the scarlet pillar grazes his butt. High-pitched screams burst from William's mouth as he rolls his way out, clenching the enflamed rump. "Serves you right for trying to steal again!"

Ain's pained shout from the distance grabs Ciel and Elsword's attention. Through a gashed pathway in the hedge maze, they spot him clutching his stomach and backing away from a gray nasod twice his size.

When the duo runs to Ain's side, Ciel doesn't see Wally anywhere. The gray nasod and the flying blue nasod are the only things here in the grassy clearing. Elsword asks, "Where did that geezer run off to?" Ain shakily raises a finger at the blue nasod, rising higher into the air. "Grr, he's getting away!" The hitman takes aim for its center, where Ain described Wally could sit inside, but the gray nasod swings its arm forward. "Look out!" In a matter of seconds, Elsword radiates a red aura as he sprints between the punch and Ciel. The metal arm halts upon striking the redhead's chest but not before he slashes it away. "You'll have to go through me first, Junkhead!"

"Attack the chestplate," Ain hoarsely says. "That has an el shard powering the nasod." Is it really good to assume the el shard is near its center, like with the blue nasod? He was correct with the watch towers and Wally, so maybe it's not a bad idea to trust him. The hitman leaps into the air and materializes two azure spiked balls at one gun blade's tip. With a shout, he swings down to hurl them. They explode at the chestplate to show a radiant stone connecting several wires. Correct again, Ain's intuition raises an eyebrow from Ciel. "Stand back, everyone." From the nasod's palms, two watermelon-sized ebony rockets fly out. A few shots from Ciel detonate the projectiles before they could travel any farther in midair. Black smoke from their explosions clear up as Elsword's red aura disappears. Ain yells, "I said stand back! Move!" The rockets looked close enough to the nasod for it to be damaged by them detonating, but the blackened metal arms lunge! Their punches fling Elsword into Ciel, crashing them both against the grass near Ain. Ciel's hand clutches his aching chest, and both lungs struggle to reclaim the air lost from that impact as he drags himself and the redhead upright.

After Ciel and Elsword get behind Ain, he extends his palm forward. "Explosion!" A shimmering red sphere envelops the el shard and grows as the huge machine levitates in the air with the sphere. Ciel feels something tugging him closer to the attack, so he stabs the ground with both gun blades for balance. Elsword does the same with his own weapon as grass and dirt under the nasod glue themselves onto the machine. That red energy surrounds the entire nasod, flailing its arms, before it shatters along with the glimmering ore. The gray nasod ceases all movement and crash lands over black stone. A pile of collected soil plummets, billowing a brown cloud at the trio. Ciel shuts both eyes and feels the dirt pelt his body to no end.

About five minutes pass until earthy pellets stop bombarding him. He wipes his face before opening both eyes, crusty all around. Coated in brown soil, Elsword and Ain lie on their backs, sweating profusely and panting. Ciel dreads cleaning up his own dirt-covered body and clothes. Was Ain's attack really all he could do to destroy that el shard? He has been uncannily reliable before, so the hitman decides not to arise suspicion by questioning Ain.

Looking at the blue nasod in the sky, Ciel already knows it's too far to shoot at. He curses at his failure to assassinate Wally, especially with all the effort put into this castle raid. If Ciel ended the stalemate between Elsword and William as soon as he could, Ain wouldn't be injured and alone in fighting Wally's nasods. Refusing to attack something just because it's cute has consequences, which Ciel realizes now. He isn't hunting a target alone as a hitman. He's part of a team that relies on each other, but in his mind, all he's done was rely on them.


	14. Chapter 14: Foreign but Familiar

Chapter 14: Foreign but Familiar

With a key press from Wally, his monitor displays a mechanical island, floating in the sky. "Here's a shot of Altera. I'm sure we'll find better nasod codes there, Add." While that's possible, this old man isn't going to be necessary once his airship is built. "Could you do me a small favor?"

The white-haired boy groans as his purple eyes leer down. With hands lying on his own lap, Wally smiles from the gray swivel chair. "Did _another_ nasod malfunction?" Edward asks. If so, this will be the eleventh nasod that tries to kill him. Even though Wally claims that he hasn't tampered with their systems, that's a bald-faced lie. Edward's levitating nasod, Dynamo, can analyze everything involving other nasods, including their changes. If only that airship was built already! Edward could end his relationship with the old man, but he has to be sure it's completed first.

"Oh no, not this time. I noticed an error with the power supply room for Elder. It's not supposed to turn their lampposts on at night, but some are active, and I can't seem to fix it." Wow, he finally noticed. "Think you could do the job?"

They both know the answer, so Edward smirks before walking away. It's possible Wally knows his involvement with giving Elder light, which means this could be a trap. Better turn all the lampposts on after destroying whatever killer nasod is waiting. Lighting more lampposts reduces how many El shards can be used for nasods stationed throughout this castle.

Outside Wally's office, a familiar brute approaches from the other end of this ivory hall, full of other ebony doors on the sides. Banthus clutches a scorched right arm, and the closer he gets, the more his stench twists Edward's nose. "Did you hurt yourself dumpster diving?"

"Don't make me laugh, Add. The El Search Party is tougher than I thought, so watch out." As if they'll ever meet. He doesn't plan on sticking around when they eventually come here, but even if Edward had to fight them, it's not like defeating Banthus is difficult. How much stronger could they be?

"Since you can't fight with a broken arm, you're better off retiring. No point in risking your life over a paycheck." The less followers for Wally means there'll be less resistance for Edward to deal with later.

"After all that I've done across Elrios, I can't quit. There's no other place for me to go to but here." What a muscle head, stubborn to the very end.

A few rooms later, Edward reaches a gray door leading to Elder's power supply and thinks, "Dynamo, any nasods inside?"

A high-pitched monotone voice echoes in his head. "No mechanical life detected." If Wally didn't leave nasods here for an ambush, maybe it's not a trap after all?

"If I'm unconscious, emit a shockwave field until I activate you again," he thinks. Edward opens the door inward by a crack and peers inside. It's dark, more so than usual. The power supply's control device should be faintly lighting the room while turned on, which means Wally lied about not fixing it. Gathering Dynamo's energy to his feet, Edward kicks the door off its hinges. The hall's light pours inside, showing the ground's ebony tiles sinking beneath that door's weight. A pressure plate trap? Some darkness remains in the room at the opposite side, and from there, a flying dart lodges itself into the boy's neck. He pulls it out, but sudden drowsiness wracks his head.

Most of the floor collapses! After falling several feet, he sees the tiles flap up to where they were, creating a black abyss to swallow him as Dynamo flies to his shoes. Both eyelids grow heavier by the second, but he sends an electric shock from Dynamo to the rest of his body in hopes that'll keep him awake. Gritting his teeth, the boy soars down to see if there's a good place to hide while sleeping.

At the bottom lies a gray room big enough to hold the gigantic nasods he developed with Wally. To his left, a towering shutter with Velder's sun-like crest stands. That's just like a roller shutter from the underground laboratory, so did the trap hole bring him that far below the surface? A towering staircase to his right leads to a door, which probably goes to Wally's garden if this really is his underground lab. Edward's eyes droop again, and his body is still tingling from the electric shock. He falls forward, motioning Dynamo to the far wall.

The boy wakes up to the heat of soft skin caressing his left cheek. Kneeling above him is a white-haired woman in a lab coat. "Are you hurt?" If not for the purple light from Edward's scar and eyes, the room would have pitch black darkness. He swats her hand away and scoots back. Gritty dirt is stuck to his body, but the grossest thing is that the whole place reeks of whatever Banthus had. This is a square ebony room, closed off by a door made of vertical bars. Humidity feels chokingly thick. As expected, none of Edward's thoughts call Dynamo, so they're in a prison cell without his nasod. "C-can you talk?"

Sitting upright against a wall, Edward asks, "Are you one of Wally's scientists?"

"Well, yeah before until he threw me in here. My name's Grace." His body stiffens at hearing that name. Is this some twisted joke to be imprisoned again, but this time, he's with a lady sharing his mother's name? "What's yours?"

He scrambles to his feet and pounds the door with both fists, hurting from the impact without Dynamo's energy to cushion skin. These metal bars feel jagged and smell rusty but don't budge no matter how many times Edward hits them. "Someone, get us out of here!"

Seconds of banging and yelling turn to minutes. Edward's fists burn with pain while his throat sounds hoarse, but he continues until a hand grabs him by the shoulder. "No one's around to save us. I did exactly what you did, and nobody came." The boy shrugs her hand off before slumping next to the door. Kneeling by him, Grace asks, "How do your eyes and scar glow like that?"

"None of your business." She must've been feeling his scar for answers to that question before he woke up. It's because Edward's father, Asker Grenore, implanted a nasod chip inside the boy, and he wanted to make a weapon out of his own son to fight against Nasod Ruler. Three hundred years ago, Nasod Ruler was an organization bent on destroying all nasods and anyone involved with making them, including the Grenore family. When Nasod Ruler stormed his family's mansion, he fled as his parents were killed, but a slave owner captured him. The boy escaped and stumbled into Asker's hidden library, where he met Dynamo.

"It may sound hopeless, but I'm wishing for someone to come rescue us. Ever since Wally had me reprogram nasods to kill Add, someone working under him, I kept thinking about Echo. She's my daughter."

Edward blurts, "Echo? You mean the alchemist girl in Elder?"

"Yes!" Grace scoots close enough that he smells her foul breath against his face, so the boy turns away. "Did you two meet at our shop? How was she? Please, tell me everything you know!" These desperate pleas come off as annoying, but he can tell she cares a lot about Echo just like his mother cared for him. Asker's plan would've succeeded when Edward told Dynamo his own name had she not interfered. Grace didn't want to see her son become a weapon, so she reprogrammed Dynamo to change his name to 'Add' when 'Edward' was told and send him three hundred years into the future. "I-I'm sorry if I invaded your private space."

"Echo's a healthy kid, who's doing a good job with the store." While looking around Elder, he met Echo, who provided a rotor for Dynamo's current body. Then, Edward joined Wally in search of energy-efficient nasod codes. The ones inside Dynamo use far more energy than Wally's El shards can supply. To reunite with his mother in the past, he needs to find better codes on Altera. So much for that idea.

A deafening explosion to the far right of this cell allows light to pour in, revealing brown residue by the door. "They're at the end," a masculine voice says.

Grace springs up to shout, "Yes, we're over here! Please help us!" Clacking footsteps hurry to their cell until he sees their saviors, a green-haired lady holding a bow and a blonde woman equipped with machinery behind her waist and around both arms. The boy doesn't recognize any of the devices as nasods, which makes him wonder how their functions work, who made them, and what codes are inside. "Thank you so much for coming to our rescue," Grace says. "We've been trapped for who-knows-how-long without food or water."

"Both of you, stand back." The archer draws a bloodied sword from her hip's scabbard as Grace and Edward step away. In two slashes, the rusty bars sever from the ground and ceiling to clack against the floor or clang on each other. "My name's Rena, and she's Rose. We're happy to find you two, but now we've got a problem. The reason we came to this lab was to find Wally and Ruben's El Stone. We didn't plan to evacuate prisoners, so Rose or I can escort you two back the way we came, or you stay with us until the end. What should we do?"

"Describe the last room you were in." Everyone gawks at Edward as if what he said was strange. "Tch, I know most of the layout. There are two exits, one that goes to the castle's battlement and another that leads to Wally's garden. If I know where we are in relation to those exits, that'll decide what you do."

Rose says, "We turned left at a tall red gate to find you guys, and the passage resembled a sewer." That part of the lab is for nasod chemical waste.

"We're closer to the garden exit, so we'll stay until the end." This is perfect since Dynamo was left by the shutter over there.

When the other lady sheathes her blade, she says, "It's decided then. Stay far behind us, ok? We'll deal with any knights or nasods that get in our way."

He's skeptical of her strength considering that she doesn't even have arrows for her stringless bow. When they emerge from the prison's hall to the sewage part of the lab, he sees crumbled remains of a red gate to his left and crowds of dead knights to the right. Their bloodied corpses show lacerations, burnt skin, bullet holes, skulls frozen in ice, and severed limbs. Grace's blue eyes widen as she gasps at the sight. "Y-you girls did all this before finding us?" Even he's impressed, but with Dynamo's power, doing the same task wouldn't be difficult.

"We had to," Rose says. "They didn't give us a choice."

Grace and Edward wait together while Rena and Rose stride past the red gate debris. "Um, you mentioned knowing the layout, so were you forced to work under Wally?"

"He made you reprogram nasods to kill someone named Add, right? That's me."

She gasps again. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." Grace bows deeply in front of him. "Please forgive me, Add."

"You're fine. He made you do it, so there's no reason for me to hold a grudge." When Grace stands upright, he grins. "I'd be happy to see you reunite with Echo after this. Believe it or not, she gave me these clothes, and they're really comfortable."

Her eyebrows rise as she gives him a once over. "Oh, I remember these used to be in a storage shed. You look good in them."

Averting his eyes from her, Edward's cheeks flush a deep red. "Th-thanks."

"Hey!" Rena shouts. "You guys can start following us now!" He sees the two ladies waiting by a crumbled black gate like this red one, but littering the gray-tiled floor are nasods, crushed to pieces. As Grace and him walk past, he notices that all of them are miniature red, yellow, or white versions of Wally No. 8, a nasod that acts as Wally's personal escort in the garden. If he didn't spend so much time talking with Echo's mother, Edward could've seen how these nasods were disposed of. It's no wonder Banthus lost to the El Search Party if just two of the team's members are this strong.

By the time Grace and Edward reach the black gate, Rena and Rose get to a roller shutter. The two machines over Rose's arms are missing, so where did she put them? This room is large enough for gigantic nasods, but there isn't one in sight. "I worked here before," Grace says. "Just past that shutter is Wally's garden!" Without warning, she dashes across the empty gray space to the other ladies.

"No, wait! Something's not right!" It's only a gut feeling from him, and Edward wishes he shouted that sooner.

Rose yells something as she turns away from the shutter while Rena jumps back. Red-orange energy pulses out from the contraption behind the blonde's waist, speeding her to Grace. That's quite an interesting although rudimentary flight system. Since momentum is put behind the user, appropriate body maneuvering is necessary to avoid flying in unwanted directions, but the energy coming out isn't Fire or Wind El. What's powering that machine?

This all happened not a moment too late as the shutter flies off its hinges from an explosion behind it. The hulking door falls straight for Grace! Rose sweeps the white-haired lady off her feet and away from the dented metal before it crashes, screeching as it scrapes the ground. Next to Dynamo, emitting an electric field around itself, a Nasod Inspector stands in front of the stairway. Edward recalls that its El shard is located on the head's back, so they need to lure it out before getting behind to attack.

Rena jumps as a massive radiant arrow manifests on her bow. "Aero Strafe!" After backflipping, the arrow dives into the nasod's building-sized chest plate. It shatters to reveal an orange core. Despite taking such an impact, the Nasod Inspector arches its back cannon upward and fires two glowing spheres of Fire El into the room they're in. One is yellow and the other is blue. Both split apart into many spheres of their own color, but the blue projectiles fall much faster than the yellow ones. Edward hurries behind the destroyed black gate to avoid the raining spheres while Rena jumps closer to her foe. More arrows, smaller than the last one, fly off her bow to penetrate the core. "Didn't Ain say the nasod's El shard is in the chest!?"

Flying lower and lower to weave around the plummeting blue spheres, Rose yells, "That's not the same nasod we—Air Mecha: Gale Force!" Screams cry out from Grace as the blue spheres explode on the ground, chaining more explosions from the rest and the yellow ones above.

Edward strains his eyes to see where Grace is, but he shuts them from the blinding light. There isn't anything he can do to save her. Without Dynamo, Edward knows he's powerless.

When the sounds of explosions stop, he opens his eyes to see black remains of a body and another mysterious contraption that resembles a nasod. It's got a robust humanoid design with a propulsion-looking component on the back. That bronze machine is lying down next to the burnt corpse, but as Edward approaches, the device breaks apart to show Rose underneath. "You only protected _yourself_? What about Grace!?"

Biting her lip, the woman stares at the burnt corpse. "I'm so sorry, but there wasn't enough room under Gale to protect both—"

He punches Rose's cheek and yells, "If it weren't for you, she could've reunited with her daughter. Echo will _never_ see her own mom again!"

Her blue eyes widen as tears pour from them. "This was Echo's—"

"Need some help over here!" They see Rena sidestep around the Nasod Inspector's laser, coming from its core and cutting the ground. Her arrows pierce the pillar-like legs, but it pulls on the gashed floor with one claw, dragging its whole body forward. This lunge slams one leg into Rena and launches her into the air.

Rose flies up to catch the woman's limp body. "Rena, tell me you're ok, please!" She lays the archer on the ground and checks her throat's pulse while leaning over, ear above Rena's mouth. "Thank goodness."

"If you want to make yourself _useful_," Edward says, "Destroy that nasod's El shard behind its head."

A pitch black chain blade manifests in Rose's right hand. Maniacal laughter rises from her throat before she asks, "You think I'll be satisfied with just that?" Two more chain blades appear in her hand as Rose makes a mad dash to the Nasod Inspector. It raises the hammer-like arm, ready to crush the woman. "Bloody Carnival!" Swing after swing of her blades shred the falling hammer to dust until the entire arm is gone! She inches closer, tearing apart the legs, claw arm, torso, cannon, and then, spins to dice the head. Everywhere around that monster is metal dust. Edward is speechless, not believing he witnessed such a feat. Even with Dynamo, there's no way he could reduce a nasod to powder. A chill runs down his spine as she turns with a smile, stretching from ear to ear. "So, did I make myself useful?"

He nods furiously. "I-I'm going to leave now, ok?" Ignoring her gaze, Edward rushes to his nasod companion. "Dynamo, activate."

The six purple chunks of Dynamo levitate in front of him and speak in a high-pitched monotone voice. "Enter user's name."

"Add."

"Confirmed." It stops emitting an electric field and slides three chunks below each of his shoes. With just a thought from Edward, Dynamo carries him straight to the gray door for Wally's garden. He looks back at Rose, kneeling by Rena's side.

It's easy for him to hear what she's saying thanks to Dynamo's reconnaissance component. "When you told Aisha that you'd be ok with dying for our safety, did you really mean that?"

Rena mutters, "Of course not. I was testing her, so I'm sorry if I worried you. Anyway, where'd that boy go?"

Edward opens the door and wishes this'll be the last time he ever sees the El Search Party.

* * *

**Author Note:**

Sorry if this disappoints anyone reading, but I'll be taking a hiatus from this project. There's no ETA for when I'll return to it, but I won't abandon this. Lately, my university homework has been piling up and robbing a lot of my free time, so I'm struggling just to get this chapter's video done, which will come later than usual compared to my other chapters' videos. Not only that, but I feel a little discouraged to continue for now because of the nonexistent feedback I've gotten in terms of reviews/Youtube comments. I'm not doing this fanfiction for popularity, but I would appreciate _some_ feedback for constructive criticism or what people think about what I'm writing. I understand that my hiatus will slow the chapter publish rate, so it'll feel even longer before new content gets added. However, I'm glad that I got all the story arcs from Ruben and Elder finished. That's right; chapter 15 will be the start of Bethma's story arc, so look forward to that when I'm back.


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